Hi everyone! My name is Umali Vadher, and I use she/her pronouns. I am a senior Health Professions major completing an American Sign Language certificate. I’m from Downingtown, PA, and I attended Downingtown East High School. I chose Temple because I loved the idea of being in a city full of opportunities—volunteering, community engagement, exploring, and of course, food! I’m on the pre-med track and currently applying to medical schools. At Temple, I’ve been involved in a lot of organizations. I am the current President of the South Asian Student Society and the former captain of Temple Agni, the all-girls Indian fusion Bollywood dance team. After serving as captain, I continued exploring the Philly dance community. I now track my progress on @BOLLYWITHUMALI and teach Bollywood Fusion workshops across the area. It has helped me stay connected to dance while also supporting myself as a college student. I’m also a member of Phi Delta Epsilon, a pre-professional medical fraternity, and an active member of Talking Hands—the American Sign Language club on campus. These groups have been my core support system throughout my time at Temple, and I truly don’t know what I would do without the people I’ve met through them. In addition, I’ve been part of FIMRC (the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children), which focuses on improving access to healthcare for underserved communities, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-health honor society that encourages professional development, volunteering, and networking. One of my favorite parts about being at Temple is the access to so many hospitals in Philadelphia. I’ve volunteered over 100 hours with Temple Hospital’s Patient Experience team and over 50 hours with Pennsylvania Hospital’s Guest Services Department. I’ve also volunteered at shelters and food programs like MANNA and PhillyHouse. On top of that, I was fortunate enough to conduct research alongside medical students in Dr. Praticò’s Alzheimer’s Lab at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. With over 200 hours in the lab, I gained hands-on experience in wet lab techniques and learned the patience and persistence needed in research. Outside of academics, I love exploring the city—especially trying new food. My favorite food trucks are Honey Truck, the Halal truck, and Texas Mexican. I love Chinatown too, especially for all the boba and ramen spots. I also LOVE animals. Volunteering at Morris Animal Refuge in South Philly gives me an excuse to spend a couple of hours each week walking shelter dogs—it’s honestly the best stress reliever. Right now, I live off campus, but I previously lived at The View @ Montgomery for two years. My freshman year, I lived in a quad in 1300 in the Honors LLC. Being surrounded by classmates helped me transition into college, and I met some of my closest friends there. If you have any questions about anything I talked about please reach out!  I am reachable through text, email, or even social media @umalivadher. I can’t wait to meet all the future prospects and tell them what Temple is all about!