Lara Keddissi is a junior at the University of Oklahoma. She is studying biology (pre-medicine) and completing a minor in Spanish. She is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Lara’s goal after completing her degree is to attend medical school at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. She is working in Dr. Siler’s Lab through the Honors College Reading and Research program, assisting their research in the Oklahoma Infectious Disease Citizen Science Project. Lara has an interest in everything, from history and politics to musical theater and classical literature. Biology, however, has always been her first love, and evolution and genetics are two of her favorite aspects of the field.

Outside of academics, Lara is very involved in her community. She is an active member of St. Thomas More University Parish and of her home parish, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church. Lara adores traveling; she always loves traveling to Lebanon to visit her extended family and has been to several countries including Mexico and Italy. This past summer, Lara also completed an internship program at St. Anthony Hospital in Downtown OKC. She enjoyed getting to know more members of her community and learned so much about the different aspects of patient care.