Connect with a Science Student
Hear first-hand what it's like to be a College of Science student at the University of Arizona!
Schedule a 30-minute Zoom session at your convenience and have a personalized conversation with a current Science Ambassador. If you have questions about scheduling a meeting, please contact Dina Schwartz at dschwartz4@arizona.edu.
Meet Our Science Ambassadors:

Sarah Stamer
Majors: Astronomy and Physics
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
"We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself." -Carl Sagan

Thomas Joyce
Major: Astronomy
Minors: Math & Physics
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
"In no other field is it possible to capture curiosity, imagination, innovation, and discovery than the realms of science!"

Anna Jaison
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Classics
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
"That's the thing about human life-there is no control group, no way to ever know how any of us would have turned out if any of the variables had been changed." - Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

Rahul Gupte
Major: Biology (emphasis in Biomedical Sciences)
Minor: Business Administration
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
"When there is a will there is a way."

Nikki Martin
Majors: Biology (emphasis in Biomedical Sciences) and Dance
Hometown: Yuba City, CA
"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get" - Forrest Gump

Claire Nielson
Major: Biology (Biomedical emphasis)
Minors: Chemistry and Environmental Science
Hometown: Boise, ID
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." - Charles Darwin

Zach Stebner
Major: Chemistry
Minor: American Sign Language
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one.”
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Kapua Ioane
Majors: Computer Science and Information Science, Technology, and Arts
Minor: American Sign Language and Entrepreneurial Leadership
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
"A program is never less than 90% complete, and never more than 95% complete"

Rey Sanayei
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Statistics and Data Science
Hometown: Isfahan, Iran
"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs


Amanda Adams
Major: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Minors: Psychology, Spanish, & Biochemistry
Hometown: Mesa, AZ
"Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated."

Anna Kalina
Major: Neuroscience & Cognitive Science
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
"I'm happy if I find anything useful, of course. But it's not what drives me. What drives me is curiosity." - Brenda Milner

Sarah Darby
Major: Psychological Sciences
Minor: Educational Psychology
Hometown: Goodyear, AZ
"Happy mind, happy life"

Daniel Gonzalez
Majors: Mathematics and Statistics & Data Science
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
"Coffee is the best medicine"

Shea DeFour-Remy
Major: Astronomy
Minors: Physics, Japanese Language, Mathematics
Hometown: Sturgeon Bay, WI
"Astronomy is what wakes me up in the morning. Physics is what keeps me up at night."

Ava Lasater
Major: Bioinformatics
Minor: Physiology and Medical Sciences
Hometown: Golden, CO
“The most important thing is to never stop questioning.”

Aunita Hakimi
Major: Bioinformatics
Minor: Chemistry
Hometown: Iran
"The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed."
-Ernest Hemingway

Airen Fortunado
Major: Neuroscience & Cognitive Science with a Neurobiology Emphasis
Minors: Classics and Biochemistry
Hometown: Maricopa, AZ
"One's answer is another's question."

Chloe Perius
Majors: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Spanish
Hometown: Hawthorne, CA
"Speech is power. Speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson