MEET THE BOARD OF DOWN TO DANCE
JUSTINA JOHN
President
Justina is a 4th year student at UF majoring in Women's Studies and Microbiology and Cell Science. Her favorite part of Down to Dance are the one-on-one connections that she gets to form with her dancers. Every week, while learning choreography, she has the amazing opportunity of getting to know each dancer, their favorite dance move, favorite food, or favorite Disney character. Being able to form these amazing friendships with the dancers and watch them grow over the course of the series is such an incredible experience. Justina is incredibly proud and excited to serve as the President of Down to Dance and can’t wait to see the Down to Dance family grow and accomplish new things!
PRIYAL RIJAL
PALLAVI KANTIPUDI
Internal Vice President
External Vice President
Priyal is a fourth year student studying biology and Spanish on the pre-medical track. She started volunteering with Down to Dance in Fall 2022, and it has been her favorite part of the week ever since! Her favorite Down to Dance memories are always the recitals at the end of the series, and she loves to see how much all of the dancers have grown throughout the semester!
Pallavi is currently a fourth year undergraduate student studying Public Health. She’s loved working with Down To Dance for the past few years and creating amazing relationships with the dancers. She loves seeing how excited the dancers get and watching them be creative every week. Seeing them grow and come out of their shell has been one of her favorite things about Down to Dance. As External Vice President, she manages the application cycles, recruitment, outreach, and managing the other branches. She can’t wait to see the incredible things the dancers accomplish this year!
ANNA D'AMBROSIO
Secretary
Anna is currently a rising 3rd year studying Neuroscience and Economics. She plans to pursue a master's degree in Public Health. She has been a part of Down to Dance since Fall of 2022!
MEERA NAIR
Multimedia Director
Meera is a fourth year student at UF majoring in Psychology. She hopes to go to medical school in the future and become a practicing physician. She has been a part of Down to Dance since her freshman year, and previously served as secretary. Meera is excited to expand upon the creative and visual aspects of Down to Dance in helping to advertise all the amazing things this organization has to offer this year!
BAANO GOLAWALA
Treasurer
Baano is currently a second year majoring in finance on the premed track. She has had an incredible experience working with D2D in her freshman year, and is excited to help expand the club across Gainesville. While not particularly coordinated, she looks forward to dancing her heart out in the coming years.
JEEL PATEL
Multimedia Director
Jeel is a fourth year student studying Public Health here at the University of Florida. Go Gators! She plans to pursue a Master’s in Public Health degree before pursuing medical school. She was one of the past community outreach directors and is one of the multimedia directors for this year. She can’t wait to start this new year with the best board and the best dancers and help spread the word of Down to Dance!
KHUSHI SHINDE
Community Outreach Director
Khushi is a fourth year student at UF majoring in biology with a minor in Health Disparities, hoping to one day become a medical professional. She joined Down to Dance in the fall of 2022 as a volunteer and now is one of the Community outreach directors. Her favorite part has been connecting with the kids and seeing the joy that dancing brings them, all the while improving their skills! In her free time, Khushi loves to dance, travel, and visit the beach. She’s super excited to meet the new dancers for this year’s series and also dance with familiar faces!
RIA PATEL
Community Outreach Director
Ria is a fourth year premed student majoring in Microbiology and Cell Science and minoring in Disabilities in Society at UF. She is serving as our community outreach director for 2024-2025 and hopes to expand our classes with more dancers and volunteers. Her goal is to reach out to more local organizations and broaden the reach of Down to Dance to include participants with all disabilities who could gain a lot from our workshops. She hopes to carry her experiences as a member of Down to Dance through her medical career and continue to use her favorite hobby, dancing, to bring joy to people with Down syndrome.
KAYLA JOHNSON
Lead Choreographer
Kayla is currently a fourth year studying Applied Physiology and Kinesiology on the Pre-Physical Therapy Track with a minor in dance and a certificate in Dance in Medicine. Her goal is to become a pediatric physical therapist and find ways to integrate dance and the arts into her practice. She has loved dancing her entire life so getting to dance with our dancers each Sunday is always the highlight of her week. Her favorite parts of Down to Dance include greeting the participants' smiles each week, watching them show off their favorite moves, and seeing their personalities shine through.
CAROLINE SWANICK
Choreographer
Caroline Swanick is a current third year student pursuing a BSN. Caroline is also working towards the Disabilities in Society minor and Dance in Medicine Certificate. Caroline hopes to eventually become an APRN. Caroline loves connecting with our dancers and is grateful for the light Down to Dance brings to her life!
ANNIKA SINHA
Choreographer
Annika is currently a third year student at UF majoring in psychology with a minor in disabilities in society. Annika aspires to be an occupational therapist in the future and loves working with kids! In her free time, Annika loves to dance, spend time with friends, and play with her dog.
MARIYAH DHANANI
Expansion Manager
AANCHAL SHAH
Senior Advisor & Co-Founder
Aanchal is a University of Florida Honors Program alum who graduated with her B.S. in Psychology and a Certificate in Dance in Medicine in 2021. She founded D2D during her time at UF in an effort to combine her love for dance and her passion for medicine. After researching the benefits dance programs have on children with Down syndrome, she knew she had to put this research into action. "There's no better feeling than knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life," says Aanchal. As an older sister, Aanchal has always loved working with kids. She believes it’s a wonderful feeling to know you serve as a role model to upcoming generations of bright minds. As a Senior Advisor, Aanchal ensures that the entire organization is running smoothly and aids in the expansion of Down To Dance.
​
Aanchal is now a medical student at the Florida State University College of Medicine where she founded their first Arts in Medicine program. Her and her team pioneered the evidence-based Dance for Parkinson’s, Music for Alzheimer’s, and Fine Arts for the Elderly programs in the Tallahassee community.
ANJALI PATEL
Senior Advisor & Co-Founder
Anjali is a current medical student at the University of Florida. Anjali’s passion for holistic medicine led her to create an organization that combines dance and medicine. Her past experiences with arts and medicine showed her how impactful it can be in individuals with Down syndrome; this organization is her way of giving back to the Gainesville community.
​
"Working with kids inspires me to appreciate life in fun and creative ways," says Anjali. Kids provide her the energy to improve herself in order to be the best role model that she can be for them. D2D truly shows these dancers how capable they are. As Senior Advisor, Anjali overlooks the organization and expansion of Down To Dance to other universities.