Alumni
Our research program relies on contributions of talented research assistants.
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Christopher Andrews (he/him)Role(s):
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Ariella AungAriella 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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Mercedes BallOne of the greatest experiences in both my undergraduate and graduate studies has been participating in research. I joined the lab in Fall 2017 as an undergraduate student, and graduated with my Master of Arts in Behavioral Psychology in December 2021. My long term career goal is to become a counselor and to be an advocate in increasing mental health resources for first responders and to rural America. My research interest is in the impact of personal control beliefs on cognitive and health outcomes.
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Kezhia BarbaAs 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.
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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.
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Lluvia GarnicaLluvia 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.
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Sebastian GetmanSebastian 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.
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Priscilla Hu (she/her)Year and major(s)/minor(s): Alumnus, Pre-Dental Program
Favorite part(s) of being a Pacific psychology student: I really enjoyed taking Developmental Psychology with Dr. Strickland Hughes. My experience with the class led me to join the ACT Lab, and I found myself applying so much knowledge from class and in lab to my everyday life. I fully believe that the knowledge from psychology is beneficial for all aspects of life, and will help me in my career within the dental field. Role(s):
Hobbies: I've played tennis since freshman year of high school, and I tried to play at least every week before quarantine. I also like to dabble in embroidery in my free time, along with other artistic endeavors. |
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Andrew Leyva (he/him)Research interests: Cognitive psychology (memory and attention when applied towards learning environments)
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Nathan MartinI'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.
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Breanna MoreiraBreanna 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.
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Cassidy PalumboI 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.
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Matthew Tineo (he/they)Year and major(s)/minor(s): Alumnus, Psychology Major
Favorite part(s) of being a Pacific psychology student: The professors! Research interests: Shyness and moral development Role(s):
Hobbies: Reading, watching movies, playing the piano, video games |
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Dante TirapelleI 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.
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Jarrod Vargas (they/them)Research interests: Memory, developmental psychology, behavioral psychology
Favorite part(s) of the lab: My favorite part of being in ACT Lab is the chance to develop skills that help me further my academic and research goals. |
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Brenda ZermenoYear and major(s)/minor(s): Alumnus, Psychology Major
Favorite part(s) of being a Pacific psychology student: I enjoy being able to take what I learn in the classroom and identifying them outside of the classroom. Not only identifying the concepts at play but applying what I learn as well. I also really enjoy how I am always learning something new and how things have progressed over time since psychology is a new field and how rapidly concepts can change. Research interests: Abnormal psychology, cognitive psychology Hobbies: Going to concerts, coffee brewing, houseplant care |
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, Distinguished Professor
Julie C. Hill, La Salle University, Assistant Professor
Emily Mroz, Yale University, Postdoctoral Fellow
George Rebok, Johns Hopkins University, Professor
Caroline Velten, La Salle University, Undergraduate Research Assistant (PI: Dr. Hill)
Robin L. West, University of Florida, Emeritus Professor
Rachel Wu, University of California – Riverside, 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, Distinguished Professor
Julie C. Hill, La Salle University, Assistant Professor
Emily Mroz, Yale University, Postdoctoral Fellow
George Rebok, Johns Hopkins University, Professor
Caroline Velten, La Salle University, Undergraduate Research Assistant (PI: Dr. Hill)
Robin L. West, University of Florida, Emeritus Professor
Rachel Wu, University of California – Riverside, Assistant Professor
