Alexandra is a fourth-year PhD student in the Social Psychology area of the Department of Psychology at Northeastern. She is a member of the Social Emotions Lab, led by Dr. David DeSteno, and studies how positive emotions and positive social interactions affect well-being as well as perceptions of and behavior toward others. She has been part of GSMP since 2022 and is passionate about helping others find their interests in psychology, figuring out how to best allocate their time during college to prepare for graduate school, and helping students apply to graduate school.

Email: gray.al@northeastern.edu 

Eric is a fourth-year PhD student in the Behavioral Neuroscience (BNS) area of the Department of Psychology at Northeastern. He works in the Center for Translational Neuroimaging directed by Dr. Craig Ferris and researches interventions to improve brain health following repetitive concussions, including aerobic exercise and psychedelic treatment. He joined the GSMP in 2024 and looks forward to connecting with mentees while sharing what he has learned about the PhD experience because he believes that mentorship is a two-way road when done well.

Email: brengel.e@northeastern.edu 

Haley is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Psychology at Northeastern, and a member of the Social Development and Wellbeing Lab led by Dr. Alexandra Rodman. She studies how social and emotional development relates to mental health during the critical phase of adolescence. She joined the executive board of GSMP in 2025 after working with students on their applications for several years. Haley loves to mentor students as they navigate the application process and help them find the best program to achieve their goals.

Email: hegefeld.h@northeastern.edu 

Zechun Zhao is a second-year PhD student in Psychology at Northeastern University, and a member of the SoundMind Collaboratory (SMC), co-advised by Drs. Aaron Seitz and Susanne Jaeggi. Her research examines cognitive training across real-world contexts—such as school settings and older-adult populations—with a focus on the assessment and training of spatial processes, including spatial working memory. Having benefited greatly from dedicated mentors as an undergraduate, Zechun wishes to pass that support on to others. She joined the Graduate Student Mentoring Program (GSMP) in Fall 2025 and looks forward to connecting with students, learning about their goals, and providing thoughtful, practical support.

Email: zhao.zec@northeastern.edu