Say hello to the wonderful officers and committee members behind Operation Smile's efforts at UC Santa Cruz! Learn more about how to get involved in our homepage, and YOU can help us make a difference in the smiles of young children across the globe!
Position: Co-President
Year: 4th
Major(s): Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Fun Fact: My birthday is not in April!
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: I believe in the power of giving back and making a positive impact to those in need. By joining Operation Smile at UCSC, I've found a community of individuals who share my dedication of giving back. Together, we embark on meaningful projects and initiatives to help spread awareness and fundraise for children in third-world countries with cleft lip and palates.
Position: Co-President
Year: 4th
Major(s): Politics
Fun Fact: I lhave a green thumb!
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: I am deeply committed to healthcare policy, and Operation Smile's mission to provide safe cleft lip surgeries to vulnerable populations deeply resonates with me.
Position: Secretary
Year: 3rd
Major(s): Psychology major with Literature minor
Fun Fact: Some of my favorite TV shows are Friends, New Girl, and Gilmore Girls!
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: Operation Smile is an amazing organization that provides safe surgerys to children born with cleft lip in impoverished countries. With a mission dedicated to helping them live a healthier, more fulfilling life, being apart of this club allows me to become apart of that vision by creating effective ways to raise awareness and funds towards high quality care.
Tia Abraham (She/Her)
Position: Marketing/PR Committee
Year: 3rd
Major(s): Cognitive Science and Biotechnology
Fun Fact: I can play guitar
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: As a pre-dental student, I wanted to experience the service aspect of a career in dentistry firsthand. Operation Smile allows me to do this through our work with children in third-world countries.
Tanya Jairath (She/Her)
Position: Marketing/PR Chair Head
Year: 4th
Major(s): Global and Community Health
Fun Fact: I love being outdoors!
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: Operation Smile has given me many opportunities to give back to the community from our many events to simply raising awareness about what we do. It’s been great being part of a team with similar mindsets!
Danielle Medina (She/Her)
Position: Outreach Committee
Year: 4th
Major(s): Human Biology
Fun Fact: I can cook!
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: I joined because of the great opportunities and experience for the medical field, also because of the work we do to help kids with cleft lip!
Eric Mayerhofer (He/Him)
Position: Finance Chair
Year: 4th
Major(s): Business Economics
Fun Fact: I love to play the piano!
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: I love helping people. I think Operation Smile is a great cause and an amazing opportunity to help those in need.
Alekhya Meduri (She/Her)
Position: Fundraising Committee
Year: 4th
Major(s): Neuroscience
Fun Fact: My current obsessions are: the creamy jalapeno sauce at Taco Bell, BOBA, and I Know by Travis Scott! :)
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: I used to have an extremely misaligned teeth/jaw situation, and every professional I went to said that it couldn’t be fixed without surgery. My family and I tried so hard to find an orthodontist who was willing to treat me after we opted for no surgery, and it took years to finally find someone. It was a lengthy braces treatment, and my orthodontist went out of his way to find numerous unique techniques to help me out. I genuinely feel so thankful. It’s not the same thing as being diagnosed with cleft-lip or cleft-palate, but after this experience, I just feel like I can truly empathize with the challenges these patients may be going through, and I just want to support them as much as I can through this organization :)
Tarah Lee (She/Her)
Position: Event Planning Head Chair
Year: 1st
Major(s): MCD Biology
Fun Fact: I am OBSESSED with tofu (in whatever form it comes in).
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: Because I am pursuing dentistry, I want to experience first-hand the effect of and contribute to the quality patient care that Operation Smile provides for children coming out of cleft-lip surgery.
Miah-Annelisa Zamora (She/Her)
Position: Event Planning Committee
Year: 3rd
Major(s): MCD Biology
Fun Fact: I love listening to music and attending concerts
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: I joined Operation Smile because I love the cause of helping patients and families. I also like to be part of giving back in any way possible.
Irie Odom (She/Her)
Position: Event Planning Committee
Year: 2nd
Major(s): Biology
Fun Fact: I love getting outdoors, hiking, and kayaking!
Reason for Joining Operation Smile: I am currently pursuing veterinary medicine, and I believed it would be a wonderful way to get experience helping others and giving back to my community!
Operation Smile is a nonprofit medical service organization founded in 1982 by Dr. William P. Magee, Jr. and his wife Kathy Magee. It is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
In addition to providing cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children worldwide, Operation Smile works as a non-governmental organization to reduce the occurrence of cleft lips and palates worldwide; develops ambassadorships to raise awareness of cleft issues; sponsors a world care program for international cases requiring special care; organizes foundations worldwide to assist countries in reaching self-sufficiency with cleft surgeries; hosts a U.S. care network to assist families in the U.S. with cleft issues and develops and administers worldwide education programs related to cleft issues; and organizes student leadership programs.
Operation Smile has provided over 220,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities in over 60 countries since 1982.[1] As of 2018, Operation Smile provided on-going care around the world at 34 smile centers.[2] According to its own tax report, Operation Smile completed 156 medical missions in 80 sites around the world, including 13 new sites in some of the poorest regions of the world - and provided free surgical care for over 12,000 children and adults. [2] During missions, over 35,000 dental procedures were performed in the year 2018. [2