Meet Our Buddies

Nicole is a senior at Saint Louis University, studying Neuroscience and minoring in Health Care Ethics and Psychology. She is currently pursuing a career in medicine and hopes to one day become a pediatrician.

"StudentsCare continues to teach me how such a small offering of time can lead to the most meaningful relationships."

Kelly is a nursing student at the University of Central Florida. She joined StudentsCare three years ago and has serves as UCF Chapter President.

"I joined StudentsCare because I really loved the program's goals of helping children and families (and older adults!) get through really challenging times."

Anika is a junior at the University of Washington, where she is studying biochemistry and environmental health. She hopes to go to medical school and become a physician.

Anika was introduced to StudentsCare while she was looking for ways to give back to her community during the pandemic.

Alejandra was born in Placetas, Cuba and immigrated to Florida when she was six years old. She graduated a year early from the University of Miami with a major in Health Sciences, and minors in English, Chemistry, and Public Health.

“I think the best way to learn about yourself is through volunteering. It allows you to shift your perspective and preconceived notions, while nurturing your ability to connect with others,” says Alejandra. “You expose yourself to a diversity of experiences and in turn a diversity of thought. In a lot of ways, volunteering is self-serving. At the end of the day, you get a long-lasting sense of fulfillment while also bringing joy to another person.”

Mark Li is from Grapevine, Texas. He is a rising junior at The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Biochemistry. He joined StudentsCare in Spring 2021. He was interested in helping around the Austin community. "StudentsCare was presented to me as a fun, engaging opportunity to start making a difference. Through time, it proved to be exactly that."

Iqra Ahmad is currently a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, studying biology. She learned about and joined StudentsCare during the COVID-19 pandemic, while looking for ways to volunteer and give back to the Austin community.

She says, “volunteering with children or seniors allows one to build connections and become more empathetic to others’ needs. Throughout my volunteering experience, I have learned the importance of kindness and listening to others during difficult times.”

Maria Santos, senior at Florida International University, has been volunteering with StudentsCare for just 6 months now. She supports the chapter through her role as attendance tracker, ensuring all volunteers show up for their visits at their scheduled times, and that visits and hours are accurately recorded.

Maria says, “Listening to the seniors’ feedback made me realize what big of an impact we are making in their lives.”

Khyati Dani, sophomore at St. Louis University, has been a part of her StudentsCare chapter since Fall 2020 when she started at SLU. She joined StudentsCare in an effort to be part of something larger than herself. Khyati says the mission really spoke to her and she knew that joining would allow her to make an impact and branch out within the St. Louis community. 

Khyati believes volunteering allows folks to “have an impact on individuals other than ourselves” and is “critical to fostering relationships within the community that we live and go to school in.”