Meet the solace team
Joshua Diedrich
(he/him)
President
Josh is a third year student majoring in Applied Physiology & Kinesiology who is excited for expanding Solace's volunteer reach in the community, learning more about the elderly community in Gainesville, and making tons of new friends! His favorite memories in Solace always involve the new people he meets.
Tej Patel
President
Matt is a fourth year student majoring in Biology with a minor in Health Disparities. He is also currently on the Pre-Med track! Meeting the new Solace members and forming life-long bonds with them is the most rewarding part of this organization to him, and his favorite memory so far is taking part in Solace's first ever Trivia Fundraiser!
Danielle Haddad
Vice President
Matthew Alberto
(he/him)
Vice President
Cali Hinesley
(she/her)
Chief of
Membership
Cali is a third year student majoring in Public Health and minoring in International Development & Humanitarian Assistance. Her best memories with Solace involve getting to bond with members at our semester retreats by playing games and bonding activities that bring us all closer together!
Shayan Abbas
Chief of
Membership
Tej Patel
(he/him)
Chief of
Finances
Tej is a third year student majoring in Public Health. In this upcoming year, he is looking forward to planning new activities for all the members and meeting the incoming new members. His most memorable experience in Solace was our New Member Retreat at Lake Wauburg.
Rishabh Mehta
Chief of Finances
Danielle Haddad
(she/her)
Chief of Hospital Affairs
Dani is a third year student majoring in Biochemistry with minors in Pathogenesis and Health Disparities in Society. She is most excited to meet more like-minded individuals who share common values behind supporting the geriatric population!
Nick Raney
Chief of Hospital Affairs
Gracie Garris
(she/her)
Chief of Programming
Gracie is a third year student majoring in Health Science on the Pre-PA track. Her favorite memory from Solace is volunteering at Al’z Place! Her favorite thing to do with the clients at Al’z Place is definitely crafts! She's excited to offer a creative outlet for members and to try new crafts and activities!
Shreya Shah
Chief of Programming
Loryn Smith
(she/her)
Chief of
Communications
Loryn is a third year student majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders! She also has minors in Anthropology and Deaf and Hearing Sciences. Her favorite part about Solace is the opportunity to gain leadership and community involvement experiences in a network of supportive individuals.
Raghav Balaji
Chief of Communications
Jessica Gomez
(she/her)
Chief of
Fundraising
Jessica is a fourth year student majoring in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience with a minor in Pathogenesis. Her favorite memory from Solace is time spent with friends at our Pumpkin Patch Social, and she's looking forward to going to more fun socials and volunteering at Al’z Place.
Kunal Kapur
Chief of
Fundraising
Madeline Gubbini
(she/her)
Chief of Internal Affairs
Madeline is a fourth year student majoring in Applied Physiology & Kinesiology who is excited to watch Solace grow as an organization as we spread our volunteering initiative to other parts of the Gainesville geriatric community!
Gracie Garris
Chief of Internal Af
Tej Patel
President
Tej Patel
(he/him)
President
Tej is a fourth-year student majoring in Public Health and is excited to expand Solace’s on campus presence and strengthen its membership bonds!
Shayan Abbas
Membership
Shayan Abbas
(he/him)
Membership
Shayan is a third-year student majoring in Biology who is excited about providing an engaging and welcoming environment for our Solace family, recruiting some awesome new members, and collaborating with fellow organizations on campus.
Nick Raney
Hospital Affairs
Nick Raney
(he/him)
Hospital Affairs
Nick is a fourth year student majoring in psychology, and is focused on optimizing the volunteer experience so that Solace can provide patients with the highest level of companionship and care.
Raghav Balaji
Membership
Raghav Balaji
(he/him)
Communications
Raghav is a second-year student majoring in Nutritional Science who is excited about expanding Solace's presence in the community, talking to patients, and working with the members.
Gracie Garris
Internal Affairs
Gracie Garris
(he/him)
Internal Affairs
Gracie is a health science third-year undergraduate student pursuing a career as a physician assistant. She has loved engaging in external outreach opportunities at Al’z Place and ElderCare and is excited to continue planning engaging events for our members to connect with the elderly community in Gainesville!
Danielle Haddad
Vice-President
Danielle Haddad
(she/her)
Vice-President
Danielle Haddad is a fourth-year student majoring in Biochemistry who is excited to continue engaging with members and enhance their involvement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, all while remaining dedicated to her patient interactions at Shands.
Rishabh Mehta
Finance
Rishabh Mehta
(he/him)
Finance
Rishabh is a second-year student majoring in Biochemistry and hopes to work alongside vendors and sponsors to continue to fund an organization that does so much for our geriatric community.
Shreya Shah
Programming
Shreya Shah
(she/her)
Programming
Shreya is a third year student studying psychology with a concentration in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience! She is excited about cultivating a group that is passionate about making crafts and spending quality time, with the geriatric population.
Kunal Kapur
Fundraising
Kunal Kapur
(he/him)
Fundraising
Kunal is a second-year student majoring in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology who is eager to continue on the path to providing solace to more patients and connecting with new members as we work together toward a common cause.
Kiah Coleman
Volunteer Coordinator
Kiah Coleman-Spradley
Volunteer Coordinator
Kiah has been one of UF Health's incredible Volunteer Coordinators, and has been working with Solace since Spring of 2020! She is a proud mother and loves working with all of her UF volunteers. She is a wonderful asset to the Solace team and provides an unparalleled amount of support and guidance to our members.
Dr. Diba Mani
Organization Advisor
Diba Mani, Ph.D., is a lecturer in the Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology at UF. Alongside teaching, she is dedicated to research in the field of geriatrics and enjoys the human component of any work she is engaging in. Dr. Mani also enjoys being an international judo referee in her free time! We are so lucky to have her as a part of our team!