Meet Our E-Board
Daniel Karimi Dehkordi
President
Daniel is currently a Senior majoring in Biomedical Sciences. In the future, he plans on pursuing an MD/PhD program, with a focus on brain-machine interfaces and orthopedics.
As the son of two Iranian immigrants, Daniel has seen how arduous and isolating the college admissions process can be. While applying for college, he reflected on how difficult it must have
been for his parents and siblings to go through this process with no one to rely on for guidance.
Knowing that the financial aspect of the college admissions processes can be daunting, he hopes through RIEI to help raise money to subsidize applying for and attending college for Refugee
and Immigrant students.
Language(s): English and Farsi
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Sudeepta Matha
Vice President
Sudeepta is currently a Junior at the University of Central Florida pursuing a Psychology degree with a concentration in Neuroscience. She plans to obtain her PhD in Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience.
As the oldest daughter of an immigrant family, Sudeepta understands the value and importance of advocating for populations that lack connections to academic resources. She currently works with the Central Florida Brain Bee as Event Manger, where she focuses on providing neuroscience opportunities for high school students at no cost.
With RIEI, she hopes to provide accessible resources, especially for those pursuing sciences in higher education, to refugees and immigrants in the Central Florida region.
Language(s): English and Telugu
Valentina Figuera Alvarez
Operations Supervisor
​Valentina is a Junior majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in Cultural Anthropology.
Both of her parents are Venezuelan immigrants; however, Valentina was born in the United States. Growing up in Miami, Valentina noticed the difficulties she and her classmates faced while first-generation students. As a result, she wrote and presented her first research paper regarding gentrification and its impact on Immigrant communities.
She hopes to bring more awareness to these problems and offer solutions on how students can help. Through RIEI, she wants to encourage more students to be active in their communities while simultaneously providing help or necessities to Immigrants and Refugees.
Language(s): English and Spanish