​Alumni

Our research program relies on contributions of talented research assistants.

Christopher Andrews (he/him)
Year and major(s)/minor(s): Psychology Major, Class of 2020
Favorite part(s) of being a Pacific Psychology student: I honestly enjoy the professors! It has been my experience that each professor has their own interesting view on Psychology, so when you put it all together, I think they leave you well-rounded.
Research interests: N/A
Role(s):
  • Data entry supervisor
  • General data entry
  • Death Over Dinner facilitator
  • Prepare surveys for studies
  • Participant recruiter
  • Meet with participants 
​Favorite part(s) of the lab: Experiencing research in a way that I otherwise wouldn't have. Learning more about all of the work that goes into research and publishing results. 
Hobbies: Video games

Ariella Aung 

Ariella was a member of the lab Spring and Summer 2020. She graduated May 2020 and plans to pursue medical school training. She hopes to focus on research that examines at cultural impacts on later life as she continues on her journey to become a doctor.
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Kezhia Barba

​​As one of the research assistants in the ACT Lab from September 2017 - May 2019, Kezhia worked alongside other assistants helping Dr. Strickland-Hughes conduct research. Her duties included: independently conducted research sessions with participants, prepare research presentations for PURCC and other research conferences, and contribute to the general upkeep of the lab. Kezhia graduated in May of 2019 with my Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Kezhia is currently working as a behavioral technician at a behavior center, working with individuals diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities and teaching them skills. 

Katie Dillon

​Katie worked with Dr. Strickland-Hughes as an undergraduate in the Social Cognitive and Affective Development Lab at the University of Florida from 2013 – 2015. During this time, Dr. Strickland-Hughes oversaw Katie as a research assistant, taught her a lot about statistical analyses and research design, reviewed sixteen drafts of her senior thesis, and helped Katie learn a lot about mentorship, scientific integrity, and how to present a poster. Katie graduated in 2015 before completing her Master's degree at NYU. She then worked in clinical psychology for two years and now works in the Cognitive and Motor Aging division at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Lluvia Garnica

Lluvia was in the lab from October 2017-May 2019. In the lab, Lluvia conducted interviews, coded data, recruited participants, completed various trainings in order to participate in research, presented research (posters) in conferences such as PURCC/ WPCUR, filled out parts of IRB, and found/read articles for literature reviews. Lluvia graduated in May 2018 and is currently looking for a good job and preparing for graduate school.

Sebastian Getman 

​Sebastian graduated in May 2019 and was part of the lab for 2 years. He is currently working as an HR Project Manager for Xilinx, a semiconductor company in Santa Clara. Sebastian plans to apply to graduate school for Psychology in Fall 2020.​

Andrew Leyva (he/him)

Favorite part(s) of being a Pacific Psychology student: It was a wonderful experience with a good variety of helpful professors! My favorite part was the wealth of resources made available to us!
Research interests: Cognitive Psychology (memory and attention when applied towards learning environments)
Role(s):
  • Death Over Dinner facilitator
  • General research assistant​
Favorite part(s) of the lab: Everyone is responsive and cooperative! This lab is really committed to its research and makes a point to include everyone!
Hobbies: Music, reading, jogging, collecting vinyls

Nathan Martin 

​I'm an undergraduate student in the class of '21, intending to earn my BA in Neuroscience & Behavior. I study at Columbia University, but I have immensely enjoyed being a part of the ACT Lab during the summer of 2019. I hope to use the skills I've gotten from Dr. Strickland-Hughes's guidance and working with the other RA's to attend graduate school and conduct my own research in developmental neuroscience in the future.

Breanna Moreira 

Breanna was a member of the lab from Summer and Fall 2019. She graduated with her B.S. in Psychology and Sociology in December 2019. She plans to attend graduate school pursuing a Master's of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in August 2020.

Cassidy Palumbo

I am set to graduate in the Spring of 2021. I joined the ACT lab in May of 2019. In doing research, I am excited to learn new methods and applications in psychology. In the future I want to obtain both my masters and doctoral degrees. I want to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner or a forensic psychologist.  ​

Dante Tirapelle

I joined the ACT lab officially as of Spring 2020, before that I was brought on to help facilitate an event with the ACT lab in Fall 2019. This experience has been one of the primary reasons that has inspired me to pursue research after graduation. I graduated in Fall 2019 with my bachelors and after taking some time off hope to go on to a masters or doctoral program. 
We further thank research assistants from the University of Florida Aging & Memory Lab (PI: Dr. Robin L. West) and the Social-Cognitive and Affective Development Lab (PI: Dr. Natalie C. Ebner) for their support: Jessica Alpizar, Jacob Asch, Edward Ballester, Charlie Bisbee, Hypatia Bolivar, Erika Boone, Blair Cacciamani, Jessica Campbell, Karina Chang, Sara Charles, Nicholas Christodoulides, Maria Cirillo, Matthew Conway, Robyn Cotney, Devarshi Desai, Monica Diaz, Albert Dizon, Donavan Ellis, Sharon Faur, Rachel Fisher, Nick Garcia, Ashley Gersh, Jessica Green, Theresa Gugino, Samantha Janvier, Mary Johnson, Vladislav Korenblit, Sonia Koul, Brooke Layport, Katie Matthews, Samantha Loscalzo, Mohima Meera, Nick O'Connor, Brianna Parlette, Rezwana Parveen, Lindsay Patenaude, Ram Peesapati, Nicole Perez, Vineet Polineni, Alessandra Rosales, Nikita Samaroo, Kimberly Santo, Amber Schaefer, Arianna Schmid, Sondre Skarsten,  Michael Yeber, and Nona Zamiri.


​Collaborators

Sarah J. Barber, Georgia State, Assistant Professor

Annie Ditta, University of California – Riverside, Assistant Professor of Teaching

Natalie C. Ebner, University of Florida, Associate Professor

Thomas M. Hess, North Carolina State University, Professor

Emily Mroz, University of Florida, Doctoral Candidate
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George Rebok, Johns Hopkins University, Professor

Robin L. West, University of Florida, Emeritus Professor
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Rachel Wu, University of California – Riverside, Assistant Professor