Select Teaching, Mentorship, and Leadership

2024-2025 Psychology Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award 

• Awarded to two students per year who demonstrate exceptional teaching ability, growth, and creativity in the classroom; who provide outstanding mentorship to students and colleagues; and who show significant scholarly development throughout their graduate studies.

Fall 2024 Psychology 345: Human Neuropsychology - Graduate Student Instructor

• Lead two 2-hour discussion sections to review lecture content and teach new material for approximately 30 students per section. Wrote quiz and exam questions, graded student assignments and exams. Assisted the primary instructor with course administration, including managing course materials, coordinating assignments and grading across sections, maintaining communication with peer graduate student instructors, and ensuring consistency in course procedures. Updated the discussion section slides for graduate instructors.

Winter 2023, 2024 Psychology 240: Intro. to Cognitive Psychology - Lead Graduate Student Instructor

• • • Lead three 1-hour discussion sections to supplement lecture material on cognitive psychology concepts for approximately 25 students per section. Created quiz and exam questions. Graded student papers. Assisted the primary instructor with course administration, including managing course materials, uploading relevant course files, creating weekly quizzes for sections, and assisting peer graduate student instructors with questions. Assisted in the updating of course lecture slides.

Fall 2023 Psychology 302: Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience - Lab Section Instructor 

• Lead two 1.5-hour lab sections to review lecture content and teach new material for approximately 20 students per section. Graded student paper drafts and the final paper. Assisted in updating key teaching materials (including research report rubrics, templates, lesson content, and grading tools) for use by future students and Graduate Student Instructors. Prior to teaching this course, I took a class on teaching writing in the disciplines (Writing 993), which trains graduate students to learn the pedagogical skills necessary to teach a writing-intensive course.

Fall, Winter 2022 Psychology 240: Intro. to Cognitive Psychology - Graduate Student Instructor

• Lead three 1-hour discussion sections to supplement the lecture material on cognitive psychology concepts for approximately 25 students per section. Graded papers.

Honors Thesis Student: I co-mentored an honors thesis student whose project was embedded within my dissertation research. I provided guidance on study design, data collection, analysis, and writing, while also supporting the student’s independent development as a researcher. 

STAR Scholar Mentor: I served as a mentor in the STARS Scholars program, supporting undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds in developing research skills and navigating the academic environment. This experience strengthened my mentorship skills and reinforced my commitment to cultivating diverse talent in the research community. Prior to becoming a mentor, I engaged in a workshop panel titled “Life as a Graduate Student: Grad Life as an Underrepresented Student” to offer guidance on navigating higher education as a first-generation student.

• In 2025, the STAR Program won the Claudia Joan Alexander Trailblazer Award. This award honors teams for the development or implementation of a program that supports success for all students in STEM at U-M.

Undergraduate Research Assistants: I currently work with and mentor two undergraduate students in the Cognitive and Affective Neuropsychology lab. I supervise undergraduate research assistants in my lab, providing training in study design, data collection, and analysis. I also co-host annual workshops for undergraduates on the graduate school application process, including guidance on preparation, resources, and pathways to admission.

Michigan Association of Psychological Scholars (MAPS)

2021-2025 Mentored two undergraduate students per year with personal and professional development. Responsibilities include reviewing documents such as personal statements and curricula vitae, encouraging and helping with activities such as joining a research lab and presenting at conferences, and answering academic and research-related questions.