Luminaries

The Luminaries are the official student ambassadors for the UF Honors Program and assist Honors leadership with info sessions and outreach. If you're a prospective student, feel free to reach out to a Luminary with your question(s).

Meet the Luminaries by college:

Agricultural and Life Sciences

Nathaniel Caves, nathaniel.caves@ufl.edu 

• Major: Microbiology and Cell Sciences
• Minor: Music History
• Involvement: Freshman Leadership Council, HOSA Future Health Professionals, Hearts for Homeless, Honors Ensemble

Mary Clare Stinneford, mstinneford@ufl.edu 

• Major: Nutritional Sciences
• Minor: Spanish
• Involvement: Hamilton School Society of Fellows, Arts in Medicine volunteer, NICU Baby Cuddler, URSP, Small Bites nutrition group leader, Founding Member and PR Manager of Overtime Band, Honors Untangled, Honors Ensemble, Resound Choir, Undergraduate Research with the BEACH Research Study

Arts

Allison Feikema, a.feikema@ufl.edu 

• Majors: Industrial and Systems Engineering and Dance
• Involvement: Study abroad in Lille, Dance in a Suitcase executive board member, Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers, Westside College Ministry

Business and Accounting

Olivia Hughes, oliviahughes@ufl.edu

• Major: Finance
• Involvement: Phi Mu Fraternity, Business Undergraduate Mentorship Program, The Big Event Staff, Florida Leadership Academy, Finance Professional Development Program

Maddie Sakalo, maddiesakalo@ufl.edu 

• Major: Finance
• Certificate: AI Fundamentals & Applications
• Involvement: Gator Consulting, Finance Professional Development Program, Gender and Sexuality Protection, Phi Mu Fraternity, Business Undergraduate Mentorship Program, UF in London study abroad, Future of Florida summit, Gator Growl parade staff

James Walter, walterj@ufl.edu

• Major: Accounting
• Minor: Sustainability Studies
• Involvement: Florida Students of Accounting Council, Florida Leadership Academy, Florida Running Club, Honors Athletics, Student for New Urbanism, Epsilon Tau Pi Eagle Scout Fraternity, TA for ACG4111: Financial Accounting and Reporting 2. Previous internships: NextEra Energy Corporate Accounting (2024), Berkowitz Pollack Brant Tax (2025), KPMG Business Tax Services (2026).

Engineering, Herbert Wertheim College

Carter Amaba, carter.amaba@ufl.edu

• Major: Electrical Engineering
• Certificate: AI Fundamentals and Applications
• Involvement: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers President, Electrical & Computer Engineering Ambassador, Florida Institute of National Security, URSP, Triathlon Gators, and TA for EEL3000: Intro to Electrical Engineering and EEL3111C: Circuits 1. Previous Internships: NextEra Energy Solar Fleet Team (Summer ’24), Florida Power & Light Fossil Operations (Summer ’25), and Texas Instruments (Summer '26).

Caden Crow, crow.c@ufl.edu 

• Major: Chemical Engineering
• Involvement: Anderson semiconductor research group, Engineering Ambassadors, Freshman Leadership Engineering Group, H-Camp SOFA, Survivor Florida, Gator Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, RPG Adventure Learning Community DM

Emilia Delaune, emiliadelaune@ufl.edu 

• Major: Computer Engineering
• Minor: Astronomy
• Involvement: Freshman Leadership Engineering Group, Society of Women Engineers, Engineers Without Borders

Allison Feikema, a.feikema@ufl.edu 

• Majors: Industrial and Systems Engineering and Dance
• Involvement: Study abroad in Lille, Dance in a Suitcase executive board member, Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers, Westside College Ministry

Augusto Grimaldi, augustogrimaldit@ufl.edu 

• Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Involvement: Undergraduate research in the Human Factors department of ISE, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers 

Camille Grimaldi, camille.grimaldi@ufl.edu

• Major: Chemical Engineering
• Minor: Nutritional Sciences
• Involvement: Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), ChemE Car, Argentine Student Association, and American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Previous Internships: ExxonMobil (Fall 2024) and Fairlife (Summer 2024)

Anjali Soni, asoni1@ufl.edu 

• Major: Chemical Engineering
• Minor: Biomolecular Engineering
• Involvement: Dream Team Engineering, Undergraduate research in the College of Dentistry, UF Shands volunteer, Field & Fork Food Pantry volunteer, Honors Ensemble, URSP Advisory Board, Study abroad in France and Germany

Hamilton School

Ashby Thompson, thompsonashby@ufl.edu 

• Major: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, & Law (PPEL)
• Involvement: Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Pre-Legal Honor Society, Junior Panhellenic Council, The Big Event, Legal Assistant, Study abroad at the University of Oxford

Health and Human Performance

Leila Hilliard, leilahilliard@ufl.edu 

• Major: Sport Management
• Minor: Business Administration
• Certificate: AI Fundamentals and Applications
• Involvement: VP of Programming for Delta Zeta sorority, Sorority Invitations Committee, Panhellenic Sister Support Ambassadors, Gator Sport Management Organization, Women in Sports Empowerment, Student Volunteer for the Football On-Campus Recruitment Team, Student Assistant for Gators Experience, RecSports Board of Directors

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Avery Gauthier, averygauthier@ufl.edu 

• Major: Psychology (Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience)
• Involvement: Founder of "Sundays with Avery" nursing home enrichment program, Clinical volunteer at Helping Hands Free Medical Clinic, 2025 Preview Staffer, Clinical Research Assistant, Hospice volunteer, UF Club Powerlifting, URSP Student Advisory Board

Drew Herberich, andrewherberich@ufl.edu 

• Major: Economics
• Minor: History
• Involvement: Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Fraternity External Vice President, Lead IFC, H-Camp SOFA, Florida Future Leadership Program, Homecoming/Gator Growl Assistant Director of Operations

Spencer Mallott, spencer.mallott@ufl.edu 

• Majors: Psychology (Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience) and Political Science
• Minors: French and Art History
• Involvement: Litigators Mock Trial, H-Camp SOFA, H-Day executive board, Harn Museum student educator, French Club, New Age Radio Music Club

Keely Moody, keelymoody@ufl.edu 

• Major: Biochemistry and Psychology (Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience) 
• Involvement: Freshman Leadership Council, H-Camp Executive Board, Undergraduate Research in Chemistry, URSP

Dan Topaj, dantopaj@ufl.edu 

• Major: Psychology
• Minors: History
• Involvement: Center for Undergraduate Research Ambassador, Tau Sigma (National Transfer Honor Society), TA for PCO4113: Positive Psychology, Student Legal Services Shadowing Program, Beyond120 Pre-Law Scholars Program, University Mentorship Program, International Scholars Program, Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, RecSports Intramural Soccer

Esly Villeda Castillo, evilledacastillo@ufl.edu 

• Major: Psychology (General)
• Involvement: Hispanic Student Association (HSA) Member Leadership Program, Women's Student Association (WSA), Gators for Gainesville Volunteer, UF Impacto English Instructor, University Research Scholars Program (URSP) Advisory Board, Summer Intern at American Public Transportation Association

Sam Waterston, swaterston@ufl.edu 

• Majors: Economics and Statistics
• Involvement: Undergraduate research, UF Writing Center tutor, TEA Literary Magazine, Women in Economics

Jake Wooley, jake.wooley@ufl.edu 

• Major: Psychology (Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience) and Women's Studies
• Minor: Health Disparities in Society
• Involvement: URSP, URSP Mentorship Co-Director, Preview Staffer, Preview Coordinator, UF Shands Health Streetlight Volunteer, Medigators, Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity, Florida Cicerones, Gator Welcome Guide, GASP Public Relations Director, Norman Fixel Institute Volunteer, Flipping the System Ambassador, Center for Undergraduate Research Student Assistant

Public Health & Health Professions

Adaora Edeoga, a.edeoga@ufl.edu 

• Major: Health Science
• Minors: Nutritional Sciences, Early Childhood Studies
• Involvement: HerCampusUFL, Health Education and Literacy Organization (HELO), National Society of Black Women in Medicine (NSBWM), Small Bites Nutrition, Taft lab for infant gastrointestinal microbiology, URSP

Ryan Haimo, rhaimo@ufl.edu 

• Major: Health Science
• Involvement: UF Pre-professional Service Organization, Kinetix Physical Therapy Volunteer, Community Hospice Patient Volunteer, MentorGNV, H-Camp SOFA, UF Special Olympics, URSP, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Fraternity Balanced Man Scholarship Chair

Tasnia Hossain, tasniahossain@ufl.edu  

• Major: Health Science
• Minors: Statistics
• Involvement: Honors Program student assistant, Center for Undergraduate Research Board of Students, Undergraduate research with the College of Public Health & Health Professions, AI in Healthcare, Society for Viral Studies, Asian American Student Union

Daisy Jones, daisyjones@ufl.edu 

• Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Involvement: French Club, Kappa Kappa Gamma, AI in Education research, ELI conversation partner

Lucy Pellenbarg, lucypellenbarg@ufl.edu 

• Major: Public Health
• Involvement: URSP, iGEM Team Captain, Dinglasan Lab for Malaria Transmission Biology, Study Abroad and SUIRP (Summer Undergraduate International Research Program) in Tanzania, Wilderness First Responder, Outdoor Trip Leader with UF CORE, Florida's Future Leadership Program, Chi Omega Executive Board