Officers 2020-2021

OFFICERS 2020-2021

President: Kody Le

Hey everyone! My name is Kody and I’ll be your President for the 2020-2021 academic school year! I was born in San Jose, CA, but I’ve lived practically my entire life in Sacramento, CA. I absolutely LOVE sports especially football (I’m a die hard 49ers fan), exploring, and doing adventurous things like kayaking, rock climbing, and more! I am currently a 4th year Biological Sciences Major and I joined GMT back in my very first quarter here at UCI as a freshman! Like some of you may have, I didn’t get the chance to run across GMT’s booth at the Anteater Involvement Fair, but I learned about it through social media and through one of my Bio Sci 2A TAs, Maria, who was a board member! She described the amazing opportunities that GMT offered not only locally in helping low-income communities and children in the cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim, but she also told me all about the trips GMT members had taken which instantly hooked me in! As I was on the pre-med route in my first quarter at UCI, I was largely lost and didn’t really have a family or group of people I could look to for advice and support. I was welcomed with open arms right away despite not knowing a single person in the organization! GMT was my first family at UCI and joining has been one of the best decisions of my life. Four years later, GMT has given me lifelong friends, mentors, experiences, and ultimately, a family. My favorite memory so far has been the recent Peru 2019 trip which I took with 23 other GMT members and was my first trip! While I know this year will be completely different with everything going virtual, I can’t wait to meet you all and welcoming you into our GMT family! All love!

Vice President: Clare Chen

Hi! My name is Clare, a 4th year in biology major, and I am glad to be the Vice President of GMT for the 2020-2021 school year! I was born and raised in Boba Paradise (you guessed it, it’s Taiwan! lol), moved to Irvine 7 years ago, and have been here since. Some of my personal hobbies include hiking, doodling, and recently gotten into baritone ukulele (yes, learning the chords)! Though I joined GMT in the middle of my freshman year, I did not feel alienated just because I didn’t join in the very beginning of the quarter. The friendly smiles and laughs across the room, the eye-opening/ hands-on workshops, and supports coming from other club members are one of many reasons I chose to stay with GMT. What I love about GMT is how we are able to reach our hands not only to people in Latin American countries, but the locals, where I became aware of how diverse our population is and the difficulties people are facing. In UCI Food pantries, we’re able to distribute produce to low-income families in Santa Ana, and through Project RAMP we are able to tutor underserved kids in Santa Ana to make sure they are on track with school and stimulate their learning experience. Now being the Vice President, I hope to bring the support and energy to our members and make GMT a place where people can learn about health sciences, but also a place where people find companionship and support!

Workshop Coordinator: Therese Cristal

Hi everyone! My name is Therese Cristal and I’m so excited to be one of your Workshop Coordinators this school year alongside one of my great friends, Delayne. Catch us discussing health related topics during our weekly meetings that I hope will interest and teach something new to bio and non-bio majors alike! A bit about me is that I was born in the Philippines, but moved to San Diego, CA when I was two and have lived there ever since. I’m currently a fourth year Human Biology major and I joined GMT during fall quarter of my freshman year. What drew me in to GMT, after checking out other “pre-med/pre-health” clubs, was the genuineness and friendliness of everyone during the first meeting. I came alone and didn’t know anyone, but I felt very welcomed after a current member started talking to me and introduced me to others. Through GMT, I’ve also met some pretty awesome people that I’ve shared lots of laughs, college stresses, food runs, and tons of memories with, and consider part of my college family. Another thing I also love about GMT is the opportunity to interact with underserved communities, through our food pantries, Project RAMP, and trips abroad. Looking back I feel so lucky that I stumbled upon this club and I hope you all find the same as well in GMT! I can’t wait to meet you all!

Workshop Coordinator: Delayne Darroux

Hello everyone!! My name is Delayne Darroux and I’ll be one of your workshop coordinators for this upcoming year! I’m so excited to host informative and fun workshops for you with one of my closest friends, Therese <3 We hope you learn something new from these health related presentations since we have a lot of fun researching these topics! About myself, I am currently a 4th year Biology Major and originally from the Caribbean but have lived in Tracy, CA for a majority of my life. Some of my favorite hobbies include cooking (major foodie alert), hiking/being out in nature, coloring, and discovering new music! I joined GMT my freshman year at the Anteater Involvement Fair and have been involved ever since due to the interactive workshops, inspiring volunteer opportunities, and supportive members who have truly enriched my college experience for the best. I know these times are difficult and it can be worrisome with being uncertain as to how to form connections and to find your community but I want to assure you that wherever you are; you can still make those memorable experiences! This is not just a club but a close knit family that I can’t imagine my college life without. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you and welcoming y’all into our wonderful family!

Advocacy Coordinator: Neda Izadyar

Hey guys! My name is Neda Izadyar and I am so excited to be one of your Advocacy Coordinators for this school year! As your Advocacy Coordinator, I’ll be working closely with Sadat (my cochair) in organizing Santa Ana outreach events to assist the homeless population. I was originally born in The Netherlands (ethnically I am Persian), moved to Irvine in 2007 and have lived here ever since. I am currently a fourth year Human Biology major at UCI (If you have any questions about what that’s like just let me know :)). I accidentally stumbled across GMT during Anteater Involvement Fair my Freshman year and I’m going to say that was probably by far the best decision I’ve made during my college experience. Not only are the people so inviting and inclusive, but they truly care about your ability to succeed throughout your time here at UCI. This is a great opportunity to make friends, network, figure out what you want to do, and to just have a good time! Some opportunities to take advantage of include Project RAMP (in which we mentor kids in Santa Ana and practice their math and reading skills) and Food Pantry (where we provide healthy food options to vulnerable communities). My favorite by far would have to be the GMT trips to underserved Latin American communities. I have gone on two trips already, one to the Dominican Republic (Summer 2018) and the most recent one to Peru (Summer 2019) and can say that both have been such rewarding and eye-opening experiences. I look forward to seeing you and I hope you’ll come to fall in love with GMT the same way I did!

Advocacy Coordinator: Sadat Zaman

Hello everyone, welcome to GMT! My name is Sadat Zaman and I am excited to be one of your advocacy coordinators this year. My co-advocacy coordinator Neda and I are excited to bring you fun/educational advocacy events and projects! Some background about me, I am from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, CA and I am Bengali. I am currently a third-year double major in Biological Sciences and Anthropology and I joined GMT in the fall quarter of my freshman year. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what I want to do yet but medical school is the goal right now. Joining GMT was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. Everyone in the club is super chill, I’ve made some of my best friends here, and I have truly learned a lot about medicine! I came into GMT scared/alone but everyone in the club made me feel like I belong. Please hit me up if you ever need any life advice, I like helping others! Some other things about me is that I love to play/watch/talk about basketball (Lakers 4 life), go on youtube, and I like to learn card magic tricks. Well I look forward to meeting everyone, peace out girl scout.

Projects Coordinator: Brian Monroy

Hey everyone! My name is Brian, I’m a fourth year chemistry major, and I will be your project coordinator this academic year. I was born in Los Angeles, moved to Pomona in 2012, and began studying here, at UCI, in 2017. Initially, I was a physics major and wasn’t very involved in biology, chemistry, or psychology. Towards the later end of my first year, I enrolled in a psychology course that changed my perspective on science and introduced me to its interdisciplinary nature. Fields such as biology, chemistry, and physics could directly feed into each other and contribute to the ever evolving field of medicine. This aspect of medicine captivated me and inspired my journey towards the field. I joined GMT in my third year and enjoyed its amazing volunteer opportunities such as food distribution at the UCI Mobile Food Pantry and tutoring children at the Boys and Girls Club. As a part of GMT, I was able to form some great friendships and contribute to the community in many ways. I hope to continue working towards providing everyone great volunteer opportunities and interacting with yall. Feel free to reach out to me. (P.S. A little more about myself. I enjoy playing the electric guitar and listen to a wide range of music but heavy metal/ rock is my go to music genre).

Financial Coordinator: Justin Luu

Hiyah there! I see you’re scrolling through GMT board, so let me just introduce myself. I would just copy and paste the bee movie script, but I don’t think they would let me -I am disappointed- but anyways... My name is Justin Luu, a 4th year bio sci major and I will be one of your financial directors for the school year. I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, so if any of you guys are around the bay and would like to hang, I’d be more than happy to. But then again I am pretty introverted at times so maybe we can just listen to music together and relax. My hobbies include playing video games, martial arts(jiu jitsu), skating, and just relaxing, whether that be movies or going to the beach. I joined GMT fall quarter of my second year and I have enjoyed every moment of it since. I know we’re a pre-med club and we may seem intimidating, but we’re honestly also just trying to figure things out in life. Not all of us know if we actually want to be future physicians and what not, I know I’m not quite set on it yet that’s for sure. But with that said, we have tons of resources and alumni that do have actual experience in the med field, who would be happy to share their struggles we will/have experience(d) and tips throughout this path. Well I think that’s all I have on my mind. I’m sure something will come up later that I’d like to say, but for now I hope to see you soon, whether it be in person or online! Thank you for reading my little intro and stay happy and healthy out there. Also, add me on tik tok at justinluu3, heh heh wink wink. Goodbye!

Financial Coordinator: Christian Martinez

Hey guys!! I’m Chris and I am a fourth year Public Health Sciences major. A little something about myself is that I was born and raised in SoCal (LB <3), I love the beach and aquatic sports. Some hobbies of mine are swimming, water polo, I just got into homebrewing kombucha, I enjoy watching The Office, I love eating, and the list goes on lol.

. I joined GMT way back in Spring quarter of my second year, and I’ve been a part of GMT ever since. The thing that made me stick around was the sense of family, everyone was so welcoming both general members and board members alike. Being part of GMT in the past couple of years I’ve made tons of memories with friends I consider part of my family, from stressing over a midterm to singing songs on a bus in Latin America on our way to our clinic site. But what I love most about GMT is that we are able to give back to our local community and communities abroad in Latin American countries. I am looking forward to catching up with old friends and welcoming new friends into our GMT family. Don’t be afraid to reach out to any of us, we don’t bite. We can go on food runs, study, listen to music, talk about life , or just chill, the list goes on. Really, we don’t bite. With that being said, I am very excited to be one of your financial directors along with Justin for the 2020-2021 academic year. Funny story, Justin was actually the first person I spoke to in GMT. Hahaha, we really talked about chicken (idk why lmao) and the gym before that day’s workshop lol. And after a year of making memories together, he became my mentor, and we continue to make many more. Also, add my boy Justin on tik tok!! See y’all soon!!

Social Coordinator: Sarah Abao

Hello everyone!!! I’m Sarah, from the east bay area, Brentwood, CA. I’m currently a fourth year Public Health Policy major, heading to nursing school after graduating. I aspire to be a Nurse Practitioner in Pediatrics (yes, the lil kiddos). I will be one of the social coordinators for this academic school year and am looking forward to meeting new friends and welcoming y’all into our GMT fam. My goal this year is to be connected to each other even when we’re apart during these times of rona… GMT gave me a place where I felt like home and really bonded with such an amazing group of people. I hope you find the same as I did. With the help, resources, and knowledge I gained from this club, I met long lasting friends here and am glad to call my fam <3 Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us! We want to do our best in guiding and mentoring each other, getting to where we want to be in the future. Some things about me is I am music director for my acappella group, Clair de Lune. I love to sing, play piano, and bake things from beignets to lemon bars to mochi donuts. Aside from that, my hobbies include going on tiktok, watching basketball, (Go LAKERS!) and food/travel adventuring. I really have an addiction to finding new places on yelp and going with friends to try new foods/boba places. I hope to meet new faces and connect! Stay safe & healthy everyone! ~ (^wear masks!^)

Social Coordinator: Celeste Calderon

Hey guys! My name is Celeste and I am very excited to be partnering with Sarah this year to be GMT’s social coordinator! Haha just like Sarah, I am a Public Health Policy major going into my fourth year and I aspire to work in hospital administration for the government in Sacramento after I graduate. Every memory I have made here in GMT has been a blast from the super fun socials (shameless plug haha), the incredible workshops every week, the friendships I have made, and the wonderful work we commit ourselves to giving back to the communities! Helping assist our local Santa Ana community has really driven home how much I care about the PH field I am studying. GMT has given me a family when I am away from home -- filled with some of the sweetest, funniest, and smartest people I have ever met. When I think back to before GMT, I remember feeling overwhelmed with my future, but it’s thanks to this amazing group of people that I have learned I want to be involved in social work! Some things to know about me: I LOVE ANIMALS (dogs=adorable, cats=amazing, snakes=big boopers), I am always down for getting food, I cannot stop myself from doing art. I am in between my art notebook, singing, dancing, and bullet journaling at the moment -- hit me up to try some art! But for now, everyone please stay safe, follow health safety guidelines pls, and I look forward to building an even larger family this upcoming year!

Publicity Coordinator: Vivian Wang

Hello everyone! My name is Pin Wen Wang, but I usually go by Vivian. I'll continue to be the Publicity Coordinator for the school year of 2020-2021! As a Publicity Coordinator I work closely with the Historian, Jennie, to maintain various GMT social media platforms. Other than that, I’m also responsible for bringing in potential members mainly through announcements on Facebook (you probably already saw a lot of my posts) and draw various graphics for the club (apparels, stickers, ...etc). I’m currently a 4th year Biological Sciences major. Like Clare, I was born and raised in Taiwan until my family and I moved to Walnut, CA around a decade ago. I first knew of GMT right in my first quarter at UCI, but did not get fully involved with the club until spring quarter of my freshman year. I was initially drawn to the club due to the weekly workshops and volunteer events. However, I have become fond of the club due to friendly and supportive members. My involvement in GMT has helped me to grow out of my shell by offering opportunities to work on worthwhile causes alongside my peers. Another thing to know about me is that my hobbies include drawing, listening to music, and watching animated shows (hit me up if you got a good recommendation!). GMT is a great place to not only get resources for academics and future careers, but also for making lifelong friends and gaining eye-opening outlook on underserved communities and healthcare. I hope that you guys can make the most out of your college experiences despite the current difficult circumstances. Stay safe, rest when you need to, and hopefully I'll be seeing you guys in the future!

Historian Coordinator: Jennie Lau

Hi everyone! My name is Jennie Lau, and I will be your Historian working alongside the Publicity Coordinator, Vivian Wang! I grew up in the Central Valley and this is currently my 4th year at UCI as a Bio major. As a Historian, my position generally consists of presenting about Alumni Showcase, maintaining the website, and updating GMT social media. During my 1st year of Spring Quarter, I was introduced to GMT by my friend, Vivian, but I didn’t officially join GMT until my 2nd year. In my 1st year, I did not participate in much of the events offered and did not get to meet or connect with much of the members there. However, during my 2nd year, I decided to give this club another chance and signed myself up for as many events I can make. Unlike many people I know who instantly clicked with a club, I had a rocky start to try to find one. But I am glad I gave GMT another chance, and I get to meet many wonderful people and learn so much! I just want to say it is okay if your first few meetings are not what you expected. Something as simple as signing up for an event or starting up a simple conversation can go so far. I hope GMT will give you the opportunity to meet new people and learn so much more about health related issues like I did! I am excited to meet you all this school year! :)