Six Bioengineering students named to 2024 Husky 100

UW named six Bioengineering students as a part of the 2024 Husky 100. This accolade is presented to exceptional juniors, seniors and graduate students who have made significant contributions both within the University and their broader communities.

The six students—Courtnie Jean Paschall, Aditi Prabhala, Dylan Scherer, Issac Kim, Thomas Vincent and Haneul “Sky” Kim—are part of a larger cohort of 100 students chosen from across UW’s three campuses. Their selection was based on their ability to integrate academic and extracurricular experiences and apply their knowledge to shape the future in a positive way.

Now in its ninth year, the Husky 100 recognizes students who demonstrate passion, leadership, and a commitment to enhancing the Husky Experience for everyone. Criteria for selection include a discovery-oriented mindset, efforts to build an inclusive environment, leadership potential, preparedness for future endeavors, and a proactive approach to learning outside the traditional classroom setting

Meet the six outstanding Bioengineering students named to the 2024 Husky 100

At UW, I dedicated my time to innovation and mentorship to shape the future of neural engineering. I built the first bidirectional Virtual Reality Brain Computer Interface (VR-BCI) platform for use with implanted neural devices in humans, led teams of students in advanced neuroscience research and neurotechnology development, and now continue in my M.D. training alongside cutting-edge AI and biotechnology development to support clinical practice. As a Navy veteran and dedicated advocate for women in STEM, I am committed to inspiring future leaders through my ongoing research, entrepreneurship, and speaking engagements.

As a collaborative engineer, community-oriented global health student and peer mentor, my education and experiences have always shown me that systems function at their best when every voice is uplifted and given the space to contribute. Knowing this, I have dedicated my time at the UW to encouraging people to pursue their passions and to developing support systems so that those chasing challenging goals can have the resources to thrive. In the future, I hope to be a physician-scientist who continues to serve as a positive role model and champion the power of each individual to build a better and more equitable future in healthcare, engineering and beyond.

As an aspiring physician-scientist, I have pursued opportunities that bridge my passions in cancer research, health equity and diversifying the scientific community. Throughout my undergraduate journey, I have grown as a researcher, community outreach volunteer and mentor on my path to becoming a physician who advocates for equity in patient-care and research. I am beyond grateful for these opportunities at the UW and for the incredible support from my mentors in achieving my professional goals.

My Husky Experience has been a journey of uniting my diverse identities towards the goal of healthcare equity. As a researcher, I’ve learned to ask previously neglected questions, as a leader, to give voice to long-silenced matters and as a healthcare worker, to stand up for causes that have long awaited advocacy. I stand committed to embracing all parts of who I am, challenging healthcare disparities and empowering those unheard, ensuring their stories and needs catalyze meaningful change in our healthcare system.

I believe my time spent as a Husky exemplifies the transformative impact of a multifaceted approach to education, exploration and community engagement. I came to the UW to study kidney regeneration using stem cells and hydrogel scaffolds, but have been able to work on many more projects than that. Through the Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate in Foster and a TL1 training grant from the Institute of Translational Health Sciences, I have been able to connect my academic training with my broader community of medical researchers and patient advocates.

Reflecting on my journey through the UW, I see each of my experiences as an integral piece in shaping my passion and aspiration to address health disparities through bioengineering, fostering inclusive communities as a mentor and a peer educator and contributing to cancer research with innovation. I’ve embraced challenges as opportunities for growth, pursued continuous learning and remained devoted to my commitment to approach bioengineering and global health with empathy, compassion and curiosity. As an engineer, mentor, researcher and community member, I strive to translate insights into transformative solutions that resonate with diverse community needs, guided by empathy and determination.

Hometown: Puyallup, WA

Major: B.S. Bioengineering: Nanoscience & Molecular Engineering (Honors), Global Health

Courtnie, Aditi, Dylan, Issac, Thomas and Sky join an elite group of Bioengineering Husky 100 recipients:

2023: undergraduates Ellie Bagley, Jake Flynn, Sasha Friese, Hannah Gunderman, Joanne Liu, Brandon Nguyen and Dylan Riley

2022: undergraduates Joey Liang and Suchitra Gopal and graduate student Molly Mollica

2021: undergraduates Lauren Holbrook, Jolie Phan and Nadia Siddiqui

2020: undergraduates Anna Craig, Sofia Jepson, Amanda An Nguyen, Parker Ruth, Vidhi Singh and Eric Yang, and Ph.D. student Trey Pichon

2019: undergraduates Caleb Ellington, Ritika Jain, Divya Lakshmanan, Sarah Slack, Mohammed Mushtak Talib and Renae Tessem

2018: undergraduates Robyn Langevin, Solomon Muche and Caleb Perez, and graduate students Nuttada Panpradist and Ty Youngblood

2017: undergraduates Camille Birch, David McIntyre, Connor Tsuchida and graduate students Shivani Gupta and Jonathan Tsui

2016: undergraduates Ian Andrews, Krittika D’Silva, Natacha Comandante Lou, Anastasia Nicolov and Dominic Tran and graduate student Gary Liu