Human Anatomical Sciences Graduate Students
Nathalia Anderson
Nathalia is a PhD student in the HAS program. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy.
She served eight years active-duty military, both domestic and abroad, and is currently in the reserves. Nathalia is the NIU Anatomy Laboratory Coordinator. After graduating, Nathalia plans to pursue a career teaching anatomy and physiology as a community college professor.
Elizabeth Andreas
Elizabeth is a Ph.D. student in biological sciences focusing on human anatomical sciences. A certified medical illustrator with over five years of eLearning experience, she creates interactive online education for healthcare professionals.
After earning a B.A. from Emory University and an M.S. in Biomedical Visualization from the University of Illinois at Chicago, she is now applying these skills to research inclusivity in anatomy and physiology education, intending to become an anatomy professor.
Brittany Bright Beltran
Brittany is a second-year master’s student who earned her BS in Biology with a concentration in Spanish for health professionals from UIC. After living in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood for five years, she returned to Kingston near NIU. Brittany plans to attend medical school after her master’s. Outside of her studies, she works as a pharmacy tech and at NIU’s animal lab, is active in her sorority, plays soccer, and loves running.
Julia Bogunia
Julia graduated from NIU in Spring 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and minors in Chemistry and Psychology. During her senior year, she completed an honors capstone project examining the practices and perceptions of teaching sexual pleasure in anatomy and physiology. This experience introduced her to NIU’s Human Anatomical Sciences graduate program, where she is currently pursuing her M.S. After earning her master’s degree, Julia plans to pursue a Ph.D., with the long-term goal of conducting research and teaching at the university level. Outside of academics, she enjoys antique shopping, reading, and traveling.
Sydney Fields
Sydney graduated from NIU in 2024 with a double B.S. in Biological Sciences and Psychology, plus double minors in Chemistry and Counseling. She has served as a Community Advisor, President of the Pre-Professional Association, Vice President of Alpha Epsilon Delta, and cofounder of TEDxNIU. Sydney has participated in research through Dr. Grippo's Neuropsychology lab and presented her Honors Capstone. She will apply to medical school in May 2025 and is interested in obstetrics/gynecology and teaching.
Tori Larrabee
Tori graduated from Illinois State University in 2024 with a major in Biology and a minor in History. Breaking with her family’s IT tradition, her passion for anatomy was sparked by a Gross Anatomy course at NIU. Tori has led servant leadership seminars, created educational programs for high school students about the risks of drinking and drugs, and volunteered both domestically and internationally.
Yazan Masri
Yazan is a Spring 2024 Northern Illinois University (NIU) graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. In his senior year, he took a Functional Human Anatomy course, which introduced him to the Human Anatomical Science graduate program at NIU.
Yazan intends to apply to medical school upon completion of his graduate degree, where he will apply the concepts learned in his master's to his medical education. Yazan’s goal is to become a neurologist and make a positive impact on his patients’ lives.
Jenna Meyers
Jenna graduated from the University of Dubuque in 2021 with a Bachelor's in Biology. She began her career journey working at UW-Madison in the Program for Advanced Cell Therapy manufacturing Investigational Medicinal Products for Phase I clinical trials in a GMP cleanroom facility. She then transitioned into an academic research role at UW-Madison in the Department of Dermatology focusing on Vascular Anomalies and PCP proteins.
Jenna loves performing dissections and communicating science with others; therefore, she dreams of being a professor in Anatomy and Physiology someday. She wouldn’t mind going back into academic research as she enjoys benchwork. Apart from school, Jenna is a long-distance runner, Cross Fitter, and painter.
Junaid Mohammed
Junaid is a second-year graduate student in NIU’s Human Anatomical Sciences Master’s Program. He holds a BS in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience with a triple minor from Loyola University Chicago, where he researched synaptic plasticity. Active in community-building and mental health support, he serves as President of College Success Mentors. Junaid envisions a future as a physician-educator and is passionate about making science education more accessible. Outside of class, he enjoys boxing, reading, and taking flying lessons.
Tony Padilla
Tony is a second-year graduate student in the Human Anatomical Sciences (HAS) program. He graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences.
Currently, Tony works as an EMT, gaining valuable experience in handling a variety of emergencies. Upon completing his master's degree in HAS, Tony aims to teach anatomy and physiology for a few years before pursuing medical school with a focus on Pediatric emergency medicine.
Chris Salgado
Chris is a first-year student in the Human Anatomical Sciences (HAS) program at Northern Illinois University (NIU), pursuing the research track with a focus on exploring microplastics in human tissues. He earned his associate degree at Waubonsee Community College before transferring to NIU, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. During his undergraduate studies, Chris gained valuable experience teaching and mentoring anatomy students at multiple levels. After graduation, he plans to enroll in medical school while also teaching anatomy and physiology as an adjunct instructor at the community college level.
Odelia Shohet
Odelia is a Human Anatomical Sciences graduate student at NIU. She is passionate about academia and aims to become a community college professor upon completing her master’s degree. Before joining NIU, she earned a B.S. in Molecular Biology from UCSD. At Los Angeles Pierce College, she tutored Anatomy and Physiology for seven years, developing a deep passion for teaching. In her free time, Odelia enjoys pyrography, solving puzzles, and exploring vintage shops.
Emma Whitlock
Emma Whitlock is a first-year master’s student in the Human Anatomical Sciences (HAS) program on the teaching track. Her bachelor's degree was earned in Spring of 2025 in Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies from Northern Illinois University. While undergoing that degree, courses that had a lasting impact on her were Functional Human Anatomy and Human Physiology. She also took part in teaching the Spring High School Anatomy Program her last semester at NIU. These parts of Emma’s undergraduate journey grew her interest in anatomy and teaching and are major reasons why she chose to pursue further education in the master’s program. As Emma’s long-term career goal is to become a doctor, she now works as a medical assistant at an asthma and allergy clinic to gain exposure in the field. She is working with patients every day and seeing firsthand what being in the medical field is like. After finishing medical school and residency, Emma will be searching for the opportunity to teach at a medical school as well. For now, in her free time, Emma loves to unwind outdoors and read in her hammock.
