My name is Angelina (but you can call me Angie). I am a third year Clinical Psychology PhD student. I am in the REALE-TIME Lab where I research college students’ alcohol use. More specifically, I am interested in the role of identity involved with interventions targeted towards reducing alcohol-related consequences, particularly with interventions targeting first-time-in-college (FTIC) students. I am an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and I would love to mentor the process to receive this award. I am originally from South Florida and I identify as Italian-American. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) when I was a senior in high school. Since then, I have been very involved in the MS and Disability community as I identify as having a (invisible) disability. I believe I am as successful as I am, despite having a chronic health condition, due to the support and mentorship I received. I hope I will be able to do the same for other students.

My name is Ardhys De Leon. I am a first-generation college and graduate student and I am currently in my third year of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program. I am a Hispanic student from the Dominican Republic. During my spare time I like to go running, do hot yoga, kayak, and explore new restaurants. I am also a new puppy mom to Gohan (pictured). I am a graduate student in the REALE-TIME Lab and a recipient of the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship. I like to call myself an alcohol researcher, as I am interested investigating and developing new alcohol interventions for college student drinkers. Additionally, I am interested in investigating how to reduce the maladaptive behaviors that lead to substance use in emerging adults, while considering the concurrent effects of co-occurring mental health disorders. Furthermore, I aim to identify how to mitigate the underlying self-regulation factors that lead to the onset and maintenance of these disorders.

I am a fourth-year Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD student in the Applied Cognition and Aging (ACAL) lab. My research focuses on utilizing different personality measures to assess visual search capabilities and assessing the impact of task interruptions on phishing email detection. I received my B.S. in Psychology from Florida State University, with minors in Spanish, business, and child development, followed by an M.A. in Organizational Sciences from George Washington University. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends looking for good food, hiking with my dog, and crafting. As an undergraduate student, I had no idea which branch of psychology I wanted to pursue, and I even changed my mind after completing my first master’s degree. I would love the opportunity to help students figure out the path they’re most interested in.

Hi! I am Emalee Kerr, a second year student in the Clinical Psychology Master's Program in the research/thesis track. My research interests generally include suicidality, specifically after experiencing a traumatic event, as well as suicidality in the LGBTQ+ community and how suicidality impacts identity development. In my free time, I love to hike (especially with my dog, Gus). I also like to make music and play Nintendo games! I am so excited to get to guide students and hopefully provide the same high-quality support that I received during my undergraduate years.

I am a 5^th year graduate student. My clinical and research interests are focused in pediatric psychology, specifically, children with medical conditions. My research focuses on children’s experience during intravenous needle insertion. Specifically, I seek to understand how children’s knowledge of the procedure influences how they cognitively appraise the threat, their utilization of coping skills, and their level of distress. Clinically, I am passionate about helping children and families cope with chronic medical conditions and their medical regiments.

Aside from my academic interests, I enjoy watching and doing gymnastics and painting pottery. Anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with cats and can talk about cats 24/7. Lastly, I am not the best cook, so you can find me eating around Orlando. Some of my favorite spots include Maple Street Biscuit Company, Hawkers, Pop Parlour, and of course, Chipotle.

Emily will not be taking any mentees this year

My name is Gabrielle Lynch (you can call me Gabbi) and I am a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology program. I come from an agricultural, mixed heritage, low-income family in Wisconsin. In high school I was diagnosed with a chronic disorder and was hospitalized. We did not think I would graduate. I am now a first-generation college student and have been part of the McNair Scholars program since my undergraduate studies.

As a student in Health, Expectancies, and Addictions Lab (HEAL), I am studying alcohol initiation and leading a campus-wide effort to provide students with knowledge of what to do when someone has overdosed on alcohol or other drugs. My research background has included work in the community, as well as social and cultural psychology. While in undergrad, I had the amazing opportunity to do research in Argentina for a month in Buenos Aires to learn with psychologists there about cultural differences in practice. In my senior year of undergrad, I was also able to present research in Croatia and work with students there for a month in an international collaborative effort to promote diversity in learning. I have long been dedicated to understanding and supporting diversity of all kinds and make an active effort in the community.

I am a third-year Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD student in the Applied Cognition and Aging Lab. I am interested in furthering our understanding of visual perception and how it is influenced by the natural environment. I am fascinated by sensation and perception, and how such a structurally complex system is functionally simplistic. I graduated magna cum laude from Berry College with my B.S. in Psychology. I also worked multiple jobs while competing as a NCAA student athlete all four years.

I am a Native American first-generation graduate student. Outside of school, I enjoy staying active with hiking and exercise, and reading fantasy novels

I am a fourth-year Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology PhD student in the Applied Cognition and Aging Lab. I am interested in expanding basic visual theories and utilizing them to improve real-world problems. I am passionate about eye-tracking and utilizing oculomotor metrics to explore expertise performance, user interface design, and basic visual cognition. I received my B.S in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior at the University of California, Davis, and proceeded to work in the Geng Lab (visual attention lab) then the Attention, Impulsivity, and Regulation Lab (ADHD lab) so I've had a quite diverse academic experience!

My name is Kathryn Sunderman and I am a Hispanic first-generation college student in my first year of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program. I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Psychology and Minor in Nonprofit Management. As an undergraduate at UCF, I served as a research assistant at the Applied Cognition and Aging Laboratory and at UCF RESTORES. Now, as a graduate student I am a McKnight fellow studying under the mentorship of Dr. Deborah Beidel. My research focuses on understanding PTSD and other anxiety disorders amongst combat veterans and first responders. Specifically, I am interested in treatment efficacy and dissemination as well as the integration of technology into such processes. In my free time, I enjoy kayaking, traveling, trying new food, and playing with my dog. I am a very passionate about mentorship and am excited for the opportunity to help you reach your goals!

Hi!! My name is Mackensie Parliment and I am a first year student in the Clinical Psychology Masters Program on the thesis track. My research interests include children from divorced households and how stress and anxiety has an effect on child development. I graduated from UCF in Spring 2021 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. In my free time I love to rock climb, workout, and play with my dog! I am very excited for the opportunity to share my research and graduate school experience with students who share a passion for clinical psychology!!

I am a 4^th year student in the Clinical Psychology program at UCF. As a member of the Health, Expectancies, and Addictions Lab (HEAL), my research is primarily focused on substance use, and I currently have projects looking at alcohol, vaping, and cannabis use. As a 3^rd year student, I also have had the opportunity to work in the clinic on campus, providing psychological treatment to members of the community. Before coming to UCF, I went to undergrad at Clark University, a small liberal arts school in Worcester, Massachusetts. Between graduating and starting at UCF, I worked as an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapist. As a mentor my goal is to help undergraduate students learn about psychology as a field, and to promote diversity both within academia broadly, and within psychology. I hope to aid students who are interested in psychology achieve whatever goals they may have, and I am excited for the opportunity to provide guidance and support.

My name is Meghan Kane and I am currently a first-year Ph.D. student in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program here at UCF. My research interests include gratitude, employee well-being, happiness and productivity, and teams. I want to study how we can improve employee well-being in the workplace and how that impacts performance. I am currently working on multiple projects related to gratitude in organizations. Prior to coming to UCF, I worked as the Director of Baseball Operations at the University of Maryland. My time in college athletics was what inspired me to pursue a career in I/O psychology. In my free time I love watching sports and going to UCF sporting events. I also love all things Disney and going to the Disney parks on the weekend. I can’t wait to meet you and help you on this exciting journey!

Hi! My name is Melodie Rivera, and I am a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology MA program in the Applied Pre-Licensure track. I have been an active member of multiple research teams in the field of cognitive psychology and learning. As well as part of the Understanding Young Children and Families lab, assisting in research regarding caregiver-young child connection. More recently, I have been interested in research on self focused attention, body image and social anxiety. I have experience working with children in intensive outpatient settings, providing them with individual, family and group therapy interventions post inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations. My areas of interest include psychoeducation and working with children and families in outpatient care. In my free time, I enjoy music, anything Disney, and baking sweet treats! I am excited to be a form of support for you as you take on this journey into the field of psychology.

I migrated from Malaysia in 2006 and was an international student at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. I graduated with my B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice in 2008. I then served five years in the U.S. Navy as a gas turbine technician, after which I spent two years as a research assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Anxiety Disorders lab, where I was involved in research related to phobias, tics, and compulsions. I am currently a fifth year in the UCF Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program and am the mother of a very active seven-year-old. I am able to pursue my dream career due to mentorship and support from multiple people in my life, and I hope to provide the same to other students.

Research interests: Health-related lifestyle factors, use of technology in psychological assessment and treatment dissemination, occupational trauma among healthcare providers and military service members.

Groups I identify with: East Asian, Buddhist, first generation immigrant, military veteran, first-generation college student, non-traditional college student, multilingual, cisgender female

My name is Minh, and I am a first year Clinical Psychology PhD student. I graduated from College of the Holy Cross in 2019 with a B.A in Psychology and Sociology. Following graduation, I worked as a research assistant in the Division of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction at McLean Hospital. I currently work in the DREAM lab with Dr. Lidia Meshesha. I am interested in studying environmental and individual factors that can be targeted for intervention efforts in substance use among marginalized populations. I am incredibly excited to have this opportunity to mentor and share my research with students who are interested in Clinical Psychology.

My name is Miranda Proctor and I am a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology program. I grew up moving back and forth between Guadalajara, Mexico and Texas before settling in Florida to attend a sports academy in high school and go on to play soccer at Rice University in Houston, Texas. After a brief stint working as a magazine writer and marketing coordinator in Houston, I switched tracks to pursue a career in Health Psychology, bringing me to UCF in the Health Psychology lab. I am generally interested in applying psychoneuroimmunology methods and taking a biopsychosocial approach to study the relationship between stress and health. Now my research focuses on interventions aimed at improving breast cancer survivors' mental and physical health. Outside of class, my love for travel leads me to explore as much as possible, both on land and under the water via scuba diving. At home, I enjoy painting on my balcony surrounded by my mini jungle of potted plants.

My name is Moses and I’m a third-year Ph.D. student in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program here at UCF. My research interests focus on interdisciplinary teams, especially teams of knowledge workers. Currently I am the Principal Investigator on a grant-funded study on the relationship between team virtuality and psychological safety. I work with several of our I-O faculty within their research groups, and I enjoy being involved in our Psychology Department. I’ve served in the I-O program’s student organization (SPIOP) as Interim President and as Vice President. I’ve also been a funded Graduate Research Assistant with our I-O faculty for the Targeted Research Training program, funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health. I’ve been mentoring undergraduate students for three years now, and I’ve found it to be a very rewarding experience.

My name is Natalie, and I am a 5^th year graduate student and McKnight Doctoral Fellow in the Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology program. I work in the Attention and Memory Lab (supervised by Dr. Joe Schmidt) studying visual search performance using behavioral, eye-movement, and neurophysiological measures. Before graduate school I gained experience in teamwork performance assessment, using eye-movements to study visual performance and cognition, comparisons of visual attention and eye movements between older and younger adults while driving, and examining changes in white matter via fMRI in older and younger adults participating in fitness interventions. Since beginning graduate school I have expanded this skill set to include neural stimulation and EEG/ERP techniques to study error processing, expectations, visual-working memory and general visual cognition. I love to learn new techniques for answering performance-based questions and plan on using these skills in the future to optimize performance and well-being.

I am a French/Hispanic, first-generation graduate student and understand the responsibilities that can come with that amazing opportunity. Throughout the years I have overcome quite a few challenges with the help of some very special mentors and have since become especially passionate about being that person for someone else. Outside of school I enjoy trying new things, making new friends, spending time outdoors, painting, eating, binge watching Gilmore Girls or something spooky, and training my new kitten (Sesame) to be an adventure cat.

Hi! I am Nicole Valdes McClure and I am currently a second-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and am a part of the Orlando Later-Life Development Research Lab (OLDeR). I graduated from the Clinical Psychology M.A. program at UCF in 2019. I was born and raised in South Florida and attended UCF for my undergraduate program, double majoring in Psychology and Political Science. While living in Houston, TX for a few years, I also earned a master’s degree in General Psychology from Nova Southeastern University in 2015. I am a first-generation U.S. citizen, and a first-generation 4-year college and masters grad. I identify as Latina, with Cuban roots. I am also a non-traditional student with a growing family. I have worked in the mental health field in various settings. Some of my research projects have included investigating the effectiveness of a training program delivered in the community to help caregivers with family/friends affected by dementia. Another recent project involves testing the efficacy of using positive psychology interventions with caregivers to persons with dementia. While my path has not always been a direct one, I know I couldn't have done it without the support of many mentors along the way. I would love to help any upcoming psychology students in any way that I can!

My name is Nina Steigerwald, and I am currently a second-year student in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Ph.D. Program here at UCF. My research interest is in occupational health psychology, identifying workplace stressors and developing interventions to create happier, healthier, and safer workplaces. However, I/O has an abundance of research areas to offer, and I am excited to study a wide variety of them as I progress in the program. I am also a member of the Employee Health and Well-being (EHWB) Lab as well as the Occupational Health Psychology in Practice (OHPIP) Lab. I like to practice my passion for health, fitness, and overall well-being in my spare time as well and enjoy doing yoga, paddle boarding, and going on walks, runs, or bike rides. I am also a big foodie and love to explore different restaurants and new places in general. I look forward to the opportunity to share some of my graduate school and research experience with others who are just as passionate about I/O Psychology as I am!

I graduated from UCF in 2016 with my bachelors in psychology. Following graduation, I was a post-baccalaureate fellow with the National Institutes of Health for 2 years. I started with the clinical psychology doctoral program in Fall of 2018 and my interests are in sexual assault disclosure particularly in the LGBQ+ community. As an undergraduate student I had no clue what it took to get into graduate school and I was fortunate that a faculty member told me about research so that I was able to be involved in that early in my undergraduate career. I'm excited to share my knowledge and be a resource for students.

Hi! My name is Reilly Branch, and I am a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology M.A. program on the Research/Thesis track. I graduated from the University of Central Florida in Spring 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology (Clinical track), a minor in Crime, Law, & Deviance, and certificates in Criminal Profiling, Behavioral Forensics, and Crime Scene Investigation. During my time as an undergraduate, I worked in two different labs (Team Performance Lab and the Media & Migration Lab). My research interests include identity formation and distress among juvenile delinquents, factors of criminal recidivism, psychopathy and related traits, and other interactions between psychology and law. In my free time I enjoy playing with my dog, scuba diving, reading, and watching scary movies. I am excited to share my experience in research and to help students develop skills to be successful in graduate school, research, and life!

My name is Samantha, and I’m currently a third year in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D student at the University of Central Florida. As a member of the Understanding Young Children and Families lab, my research and clinical interests broadly include infant/child mental health, early childhood adversity and maltreatment, risk and resiliency factors, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma. More recently, I have been interested in examining and improving child and family outcomes following involvement in the U.S. child welfare and foster care system, particularly for infants and very young children. Prior to attending UCF, I spent two years as a clinical research assistant at Brown University, working on several large, federally-funded research projects relating to impoverished and at-risk families, and a further two years at Western Carolina University earning my master’s degree in clinical psychology.

Outside of my academic work, I enjoy scuba diving, embroidering, painting, and hiking. Importantly, I am first-generation college student, and I remember how absolutely daunting the process of preparing for and entering graduate school was. I hope to act as a support system and guide for other students interested in pursuing a career in psychology.

My name is Tatiana Magri. I am a second-year student in the UCF Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. I currently work in the DREAM Lab under Dr. Lidia Meshesha. My research interests focus on addictive behaviors (primarily problematic alcohol) and the mechanisms that drive individual decision making. Additionally, I am interested in finding ways to mitigate the harmful effects of problematic alcohol use, improving treatment outcomes, and expanding access to care.

My name is Victoria, and I’m a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. I graduated from Northwestern University in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology and B.M. in Music Cognition. I then worked as a full-time research assistant at a non-VA mental health clinic for veterans and their families. Currently, I am part of UCF RESTORES, which is dedicated to providing treatment to individuals with PTSD. My research interests center around finding ways to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of PTSD treatments, and I am particularly passionate about working with first responders and military personnel and finding ways to tailor services to them. I have been extremely fortunate to have supportive and knowledgeable mentors throughout my education, and I would not be where I am today without their assistance. I hope to offer the same support to other students pursuing careers in psychology and to help them find their individual strengths and aspirations.

I am originally from Illinois and identify as a White, Latina, heterosexual, cisgender female. Outside of school, I like finding new places to eat, reading, and watching Disney+ shows!

My name is Yeeun Choi, and I am currently a second-year Ph.D student in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program at the University of Central Florida. My research interests include, but are not limited to, workers' well-being, work-nonwork (family) interface, work orientations (calling), aging, prosocial behaviors, and psychometrics. Recently, I have been working on the HRS (the Health and Retirement Study) archival data to study the impact of family factors on retirees' well-being. Before joining in the UCF community, I received my master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Yonsei University, Korea.

In my free time, I enjoy taking a walk, spending time with my family, and swimming. I recently became a mother, and I am originally from South Korea. I hope I can help you not giving up on your calling in academia.