Student Leadership Advisory Council

David Bair

Shivam Balaggan

Hannah Harrison

Hello! I am Hannah Harrison. I am currently a Freshman at Salisbury University and planning to graduate in the Spring of 2026. My major is Earth Science with the track of Marine Geoscience. I love my major and find it very fascinating! I hope to one day get work in coral restoration. I work in the Henson Deans office as a student worker, as well as being apart of the Henson Leadership Advisory Council.

Anna Long

Anna is a Geography major (Physical track) with minors in Environmental Studies, Marine Science, and Dance. In Summer 2022, Anna was a Geography department intern working on the SU Nabb Center’s Enduring Connections project, using GIS software to identify African American historical sites from 1877 on Delmarva. Anna received the Whall Award for Writing Excellence in 2021 for her research on Native American presence on the Eastern Shore; her work was published in the 2021 edition of SU’s Undergraduate Academic Journal, Laridae. Anna was also a student editor for Laridae in 2022. In Fall 2022, Anna studied abroad in Scotland at the University of Stirling’s School of Natural Sciences. After graduation, Anna intends to pursue a career combining her interests in geography/GIS, marine science, and environmental outreach. She has made the Dean’s List each semester of her time at SU and is currently a tutor for the Geography department.

James Montebell

Virginia Murray

Jessica Reider

Jessica is pursuing a General Biology degree with minors in Chemistry and Marine Science and is from Leonardtown, Maryland. She is also a member of the Clarke Honors College and serves as an ambassador. She plans to do undergraduate research with Dr. Jennifer Nyland by comparing land usage to water quality at sites along the Nanticoke River. In addition to HSLAC, Jessica serves as the Vice President of the SU VEX Robotics Club as well as the Vice President of DAP Allies, an organization to learn, acknowledge, and participate in allyship with the Disability Community and work directly with Delta Alpha Pi. She is also a member of the Honors Student Association, Environmental Student Association, BioEnvirons, Outdoor Club, and Women in STEM.

Ashlyn Shoemaker

Ashlyn is a Biotechnology Major in the Henson Honors Program through the Clarke Honors College. She is from Delmar, DE and just transferred to SU for the fall 2022 semester as a junior with an A.S. in Biological Sciences. She has previously done research on novel yeast fermentation and is starting a new yeast research project, looking to deduce the function of the Duf1 gene in S. cerevisiae through PCD, with Dr. Erickson in the fall of 2023. After graduating in the spring of 2024, Ashlyn plans to pursue a master's degree and eventually a Ph.D. in Genetic Engineering.

Grayson Smith

Grayson is a Junior Earth Science major from Queenstown, Maryland. She is interested in hydrogeology and hopes to one day have a career in that field. She became interested in the field of Earth Science from spending time outdoors from a young age and becoming interested in processes that the Earth undergoes. Along with being a member of the H-SLAC, she tutors within the Geography and Geoscience Department and gives tours on campus. After graduating, she hopes to work for the USGS or Maryland DNR..

Megan Spicer

Daniella Weinstein

Hello! My name is Daniella Weinstein and I am a Biochemistry major in the Henson School of Science! I am from Southern Maryland, and during high school I was a huge volunteer in my community. I spent time as a Lieutenant Governor for my local key club, and I also was in the National Honors Society for three years. I am excited to spend my college years with HSLAC!

Luke Zolenski

Hello, my name is Luke Zolenski, and I am a senior mathematics major. For the 2023-24 school year I plan to engage other students around campus by showing them the creative side of STEM students. With my previous experience in Student Government and as a representative for SU on the Maryland Higher Education Commission, I feel that I can provide a well-rounded perspective while working with the Henson Student Leadership Advisory Council.

In addition to participating in the extra-curricular activities listed, I am also an established multi-media artist in the Salisbury-Ocean City area. My specialties are painting, music, and poetry, and some of these works can be found in the Fall 2022 edition of The Saunterer.

Zoe Behrman ‘22

Zoe is from California, Maryland and is a member of the Clarke Honors College pursuing a degree in biology, with minors in chemistry and psychology. On campus, she conducts research in Dr. Jessica Clark’s laboratory, studying diabetic peripheral neuropathy in hyperglycemic zebrafish, with the aim of identifying therapeutics with potential to reduce symptoms in diabetic patients. She also tutors general and organic chemistry at the Center for Student Achievement. Last summer, she interned with the Naval Air Systems Command, investigating the underlying mechanisms of musculoskeletal problems experienced by MH-60 Seahawk aircrew as well as approaches to minimizing pain and increasing endurance. Following graduation, she plans to apply to medical school and ultimately become a practicing physician.

Anna Brennan ‘21

Anna is a Richard A. Henson Scholar pursuing a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry at SU. She is part of the Clarke Honors College and holds several leadership positions such as Henson Honors Ambassador, Managing Editor of the Laridae Academic Journal, and Undergraduate Research Fellow with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. Anna has also earned recognition on the Dean’s list each semester and was recently named a Barry Goldwater Scholar in March and a United Nations Millennium Fellow for Fall 2020. In the future, Anna hopes to research psychiatric drug interactions and side effects in order to contribute to the incremental innovation of safe medications to treat mental health disorders.

Brendan (Alex) English ‘21

Justine Graham ‘22

Justine Graham is Geography major with a Meteorology track and a Math minor from Ocean Pines, Maryland. She is interested in severe weather, tropical meteorology, and numerical modeling. Along with HSLAC, she is a part of the SGA serving as Director of Academic affairs. Furthermore, she is a member of SU’s comedy troupe “The Comedy Gulls.” Following graduation, she hopes to go to graduate school to get an M.S degree pertaining to severe weather. Eventually, she would like to work for the Weather Prediction Center or the National Hurricane Center.

Samantha Koehler ‘20

Samantha Koehler (Class of 2020) is a Physics and Geography major and Mathematics minor from Princess Anne, Maryland. She is interested in meteorological instrumentation, remote sensing, and teaching in STEM. Samantha has done research with NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement Mission and designed a small satellite through the Salisbury Physics department ThinSat program. In addition, she interned at the Sioux Falls NWS Forecast Office as part of her Ernest F. Hollings Fellowship. There, she conducted research on using GOES-16 ABI as a method for validation of severe storm warnings in the Great Plains which was presented at AGU and NWS national conferences. Since graduating in December of 2020 Samantha began her career as a high school math and physics teacher with intent to get a M.A. degree in teaching in STEM.

Jack Lenox ‘21

Jack is a Biology major and Chemistry minor from Odenton, Maryland. He is interested in understanding the global health impacts of climate change. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Clark, he has conducted undergraduate research investigating the impact of hyperglycemia on gut motility in juvenile zebrafish. Jack is a 2021-2022 Finland Fulbright Semi-Finalist, St. Andrew’s Society of New York Scholarship Finalist, a recipient of the Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Award, and is an active student leader on campus. Jack is a global citizen and upon graduation has plans to study Global Health in either Scotland or Finland, with hopes to work on addressing migrant health and the ongoing climate refugee crisis.

Sharon Nlend ‘23

Sharon Nlend is a Pre-Health Professions Biology major from Germantown, Maryland. She is currently doing research with Chemistry professor Dr. Anthony Rojas on MRI contrast. Outside of research and HSLAC, she is also the co-treasurer for Kinks and Curls for Boys and Girls club. After graduating from SU, she plans to head to medical school for an interest in becoming a travel physician or pediatrician.

Grace Pelagatti ‘22

Grace is a Chemistry major from Delran, New Jersey. She is interested in Biochemistry and will be doing undergraduate research on the folding of outer membrane proteins in the Fall of 2021. In addition to being a part of HSLAC, she is a laboratory assistant for the organic chemistry and biochemistry labs at SU. After graduating from SU, she plans to attend medical school and obtain a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree.

Jordan Risher ‘21

Jordan is a Earth Science major on the Geoenvironmental track with a minor in Communications. He became interested in Earth Science and Geology when he started to go hiking regularly in high school. His goal is to eventually study Volcanology. In addition to being a member of HSLAC his is also on the executive board of a number of clubs including The Salisbury Philosophical Society and the Outdoor Club.

Laura Short ‘21

Laurie is a mathematics major from Snow Hill, Maryland. She has done undergraduate research on mathematics education and algebraic geometry. In addition to being on the Henson Student Leadership Advisory Committee, Laurie has been a supplemental instructor for discrete mathematics for seven semesters and is a Noyce scholar. After graduation, Laurie will be attending graduate school for mathematics and hopes to then teach at a high school or university.

Katelin Stella-Breeding ‘23

Katelin is a junior Traditional Mathematics Major, Computer Science and Data Science Minor. She is from Denton, MD, and commutes back and forth to SU every day. She is currently very interested in the flow of the stock market and being able to predict the future using mathematics. She is conducting undergraduate research with Dr. Carmack looking into Markov's chains analysis of candlestick chart patterns on popular ETF's. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master's and possibly a doctorate degree, eventually becoming a Mathematics professor.