All Students

Brendan O'Connor

Hometown: Staunton, VA

Education: BA, Philosophy & Religion, James Madison Univ.; M.Ed., Community Development & Action, Vanderbilt Univ.

Advisor: Dr. Andrew Gadaire

Program Track: Community

Research Interests: Sense of community, social cohesion, loneliness/isolation, and related constructs (eg, individualism, relational and political solidarity, pluralism), and implications for political and economic democracy. Specifically, understanding and developing practices, interventions, and settings that decrease loneliness, isolation, and anomie, and support social cohesion, sense of community, and both political and economic democracy in diverse societies. Also interested in how these factors relate to participatory practices in businesses, particularly those structured as cooperatives.

Hobbies: Woodworking; writing & reading poetry for open mics, etc.; Irish history & culture (playing the guitar & bodhrán, or Irish drum); hanging around with my dog, Inis; traveling to less-common places; watching political dramas (h/t Madam Secretary & Rebellion)

Ameante Payen

Hometown: Jamaica, Queens, New York
Education:

  • B.A. from Queens College City University of New York
  • M.A. from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Advisor: Dr. Jeanette Bennett
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: The effects of stress and inflammation on cognition, the clinical use of biomarkers in neuropsychological testing

Hobbies: Reading, spending time with family and friends, volunteering, traveling, dining out

Daniel Perkins

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Education:

  • B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh
  • M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Chatham University

Advisor: Dr. Sara Levens
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Applying Social Psychology approaches to understand and predict healthy/unhealthy behaviors, such as exercise or smoking

Hobbies: Playing guitar and collecting records

Sophie Pringle

Hometown: Irmo, SC
Education: B.A. in Psychology from Winthrop University
Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Webb
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Eating disorders specifically in women of color, weight bias, and weight stigma

Hobbies: Any outdoor activities, exploring new restaurants, coloring

Pedram Rastegar

Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Education: B.S. in Psychology
Advisor: Dr. Amy Peterman & Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Violence exposure and resiliency; mental health amongst Muslim Americans

Hobbies: Playing sports, video games, hiking

Autumn Scarborough

Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Education:

  • B.S. in Psychology from University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • M.S. in Experimental Psychology from William & Mary

Advisor: Dr. Sara Levens
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Social justice and related impacts of social media usage

Hobbies: Yoga, gaming, watching reality TV

Grace Schroeder

Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Education: B.S. in Psychology from University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Adverse childhood experiences, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, post-traumatic growth

Hobbies: Dancing, spending time outdoors, reading, spending time with my family and two dogs

Nicole Schwab

Hometown: Washington, DC
Education: B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Science and Studio Art, from Georgetown University
Advisor: Dr. Amy Peterman
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Psychosocial and contextual factors of stress, resilience, and health behaviors, as well as disparities in mental and physical health care and outcomes

Hobbies: Being outdoors, hiking, playing video and board games, attempting to cook, and spending time with family, friends, and my cat

Leslie Snapper

Hometown: Ashland, MA
Education:

  • B.S. in Psychology (Neuroscience track) from Boston College
  • M.A. in Psychology from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Advisor: Dr. Amy Peterman & Dr. Victoria Scott
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Promoting health and wellbeing as it relates to mental health and integrated behavioral healthcare, physical activity promotion, understanding and improving health communication, medically unexplained symptoms, ethical implications for psychologists & medical providers, mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions
Hobbies: Hiking, bike riding, lifting, yoga, reading, a good cup of coffee, photography, caring for plants, and spending time with my husband and dog

Rose Soliemannjad

Hometown: San Jose, CA
Education:

  • B.A. Pre-medicine, English from Santa Clara University
  • M.A. in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Health Psychology from Santa Clara University

Advisor: Dr. Ryan Kilmer
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Intersection between health and mental health among diverse youth populations experiencing adversity; resilience; integrated care; intervention and prevention efforts within academic and community-based settings; sleep

Hobbies: Swimming, hiking, candle-making, traveling, writing, and spending time with my dog!

Alexa Sotiroff

Hometown: Birmingham, MI
Education: B.A. in Psychology at the University of Michigan
Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Violent behavior, factors that influence behaviors and attitudes towards deviant behavior, forensic psychology
Hobbies: Painting, yoga, cooking, hiking, documentaries/podcasts

Kayla Taft

Hometown: Orange County, CA
Education: B.A. in Psychology, cum laude from University of California, Santa Cruz
Advisor: Dr. V. Gil-Rivas
Program Track: Clinical
Labs: HEALTH Lab
Research Interests: Diet-mediated chronic illness and its intersection with sociocultural perspectives on diet and nutrition, addressing gaps in chronic illness/autoimmune disease research including health-related quality of life for underserved populations, intersecting identities within healthcare spaces

Hobbies: Tending to my plants, weightlifting, hiking, painting