Current Post-Baccalaureate Students

Vicky graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Boston in May 2022 with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education (with a concentration in Early Intervention and a Psychology Minor). While at UMB, Vicky was involved as a research assistant in two separate psychology labs that were pivotal to her interest in pursuing further research experience and, in part, knowing what interests her to pursue a PhD program in the near future. After graduation, she worked as a Developmental Specialist (where she worked closely with professionals in many different disciplines), and she realized that she wanted to explore clinical psychology as a possibility for grad school and for her career path. As a post-bacc student, Vicky is currently involved in Dr. Kate Kuhlman's Teen Resilience Lab, Dr. Uma Rao's Biobehavioral Research on Adolescent Development (BRoAD) Lab, and Dr. Angie Lukowski's Infant, Children, and Families (INCHES) Lab, resulting in a poster presentation at the 2024 Anxiety & Depression Association of America conference in Boston.  In addition, she has been completing courses in Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Child Clinical Psychology, and Applied Statistics.  Most recently (April 2024), Vicky accepted a full-time, paid research assistant position at Boston Children's Hospital, and she will begin that position in Summer 2024 (after she completes our program).

Kayvon graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Psychology in 2019. He discovered his passion for psychology after experiencing the profound transformation that therapy had on his life, including allowing him to return to college to finish his degree. After graduating, he worked as a behavior technician in the field of applied behavior analysis for two and a half years. During his time in the post-bacc program, Kayvon has been working as a research assistant in Dr. Cauffman's Development, Disorder, and Delinquency Lab and in Dr. Zalta's Trauma and Resilience Lab, in addition to taking courses related to clinical psychology. He plans to become a therapist or clinical psychologist, and he hopes that the post-bacc program will help him figure out whether he wants to apply to master’s or doctoral programs.

Blen Asres earned her B.S. in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) in May of 2022. While attending UMD, she worked as a research coordinator for Project G.R.A.C.E., where she learned about the effects of adverse childhood experiences on heterosexual relationships. After graduation, she chose to spend some time exploring a career in health policy by interning with both a consulting firm and a non-profit. Through these experiences, she realized a career in health policy wasn’t for her. Upon reflection on her experience with Project G.R.A.C.E and her clinical experience working as a vision therapist, she decided to pursue a career in clinical psychology. As a post-bacc student, she is currently working in Dr. Alyson Zalta’s Trauma and Resilience Lab while taking courses such as Clinical Psychology, Research Design, and Attachment Relationships.

Julianne earned her BBA in Business Economics with a minor in Biomedical Ethics from the University of San Diego (USD) in 2020. While attending USD, she took two psychology courses and volunteered with a local hospice center, both of which helped her discover her interest in psychology and her love of working with patients. After graduation, she worked for over two years at a healthcare communications and advocacy firm, and this past year, she also began volunteering remotely with the Crisis Text Line. As a post-bacc student, she is currently assisting in Dr. Ilona Yim’s Mind-body Pathways in Well-being and Resilience (MPWR) Lab and taking courses such as Clinical Psychology, Research Design, and Personality Disorders. After completion of the post-bacc program, Julianne plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Zoë graduated magna cum laude from Soka University of America with a B.A. in Life Sciences in May 2023. During the summer of 2022, she was awarded a John Stauffer Summer Research Fellowship for chemistry and biochemistry students, allowing her to work as a biochemistry research assistant. She examined whether the phosphorylation state of Breakpoint cluster region (Bcr) protein’s C-terminus determines Bcr’s enzyme specificity. Although she initially intended to pursue a career in the medical field, her background as a pre-professional ballet dancer sparked her interest in sport psychology mid-way through her undergraduate degree. During her senior year, she conducted an independent research study where she assessed how self-perceived body image influences athletic performance in female athletes. As a post-baccalaureate student, Zoë is currently working in Dr. Uma Rao’s Biobehavioral Research on Adolescent Development (BRoAD) Lab. After completing the post-baccalaureate program, Zoë plans to pursue a Psy.D. in clinical psychology, specializing in sport and performance psychology.

Megan graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia in May of 2022 with a B.S in Psychology, a minor in Human Development and Family Science, and a minor in Sociology. During her undergraduate studies, Megan worked as a research assistant in the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, where her interest in neuropsychology began to flourish. She received departmental honors for her undergraduate research thesis and is published in the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. After graduation, Megan joined the Neuroimaging Laboratories at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis as an Imaging Analyst. There, she processed MRI and PET data for the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Disease Observational Study (DIAN-OBS) and Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), both longitudinal studies for genetic, autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Currently, as a post-baccalaureate student, Megan is a research assistant in Dr. Schuck’s Child Development Lab at The Craig School, a private non-profit school which provides cognitive-behavioral intervention for children with ADHD and other executive challenges. Upon completion of the post-bacc program, Megan aims to further her clinical and research interests in neuropsychology by pursuing doctoral training programs in clinical psychology. 

Priscilla graduated from Pacific Union College with a B.S. in Psychology and a Minor in Biology. While at PUC, Priscilla worked on different research projects investigating trustworthiness, conformity, altruism, social media, and behavior, as well as the effects of sleep on learning and memory. While working on these research projects as an undergraduate, Priscilla found her calling in cognitive psychology and became greatly fascinated with the research process. Priscilla became interested in doing research on learning and memory along with research on cognition and language. She was inducted as a member of the International Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi), and she became a student member of the Association for Psychological Science. After graduating, Priscilla worked in the Los Angeles Unified School district, where she gained further insight on statistical analysis. Now, as part of the post-bacc program, Priscilla is part of Dr. Judith Kroll's Bilingualism, Mind, Brain (BMB) lab as a research assistant, and she is eager to gain research experience and learn more about how language and the brain work. After completing the post-bacc program, Priscilla plans on continuing her education with a doctorate in cognitive psychology.

Evelyn graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in psychology in June 2021, and she earned her M.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University in December 2022. Evelyn took two neuroscience courses at the University of Washington that sparked her interest in pursuing a career focused on neuropsychology, and while at Pepperdine, Evelyn learned theories and techniques of psychotherapy and strategies for administering assessments. Between 2017 and 2020, Evelyn also worked as a volunteer transporting patients and medical specimens, first at St. Joseph’s Hospital and then at the UW Medical Center. During her time in the post-bacc program, she has been working in Dr. Nation’s Vascular Senescence and Cognition Lab (which studies vascular functioning as it relates to aging and cognitive decline) and in Dr. Yassa's Translational Neuroscience lab (in the School of Biological Sciences), resulting in a poster presentation at the 2023 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program conference at UC Irvine and an oral presentation at the 2024 International Neuroscience Society conference in NYC.  In addition, Evelyn has been taking courses such as Clinical Neuroscience, Applied Statistics, and Health Psychology, and she has been offered a full-time, paid position as a Junior Specialist in Dr. Yassa's lab for when she finished the post-bacc program in March 2024. Evelyn aspires to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Neuropsychology.

John earned his B.A. in economics and B.S. in psychology from Loyola University Chicago. After Loyola, John moved to the University of South Carolina, where he received his M.Ed. in higher education and student affairs. After completing his master’s degree at the University of South Carolina, John moved back to Chicago, where he worked as an academic advisor (and later, as an enrollment manager) while completing his M.S. in statistics at Loyola University Chicago. After earning his master’s degree from Loyola, John moved back to the west coast, working as a data scientist in academia. He is currently working in Dr. Jaeggi’s Working Memory and Plasticity Lab, and his research interests include learning, knowledge transfer, and technology’s impact on brain chemistry (especially as it relates to depression and anxiety).

Nahal graduated from UC Santa Cruz, earning a Bachelor’s degree in both Psychology and Sociology with honors. After graduation, she worked in the mortgage/financial industry then transitioned into Human Resources. In her HR role, Nahal had a unique opportunity to work with a SaaS (Software as a Service) HR company, delivering HR solutions to hundreds of businesses across the United States. This experience granted her valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of employee and employer relationships within workplace environments. Currently enrolled in the post-bacc program, Nahal is actively involved in Dr. Pressman’s lab while also exploring her interests in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Jamie graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies. She transferred into UCLA from Irvine Valley College, where she was a student researcher who presented research at the 2019 Honors Student Research Conference at University of California, Irvine and at the 2019 Western Psychological Association Conference in Pasadena. During her time at UCLA, Jamie was a peer mental health coach for UCLA's Screening and Treatment for Anxiety & Depression (STAND) program, which aimed to use digital technology to create personalized treatment for university and community college students. She also volunteered with the Trevor Project as a crisis counselor for youth in crisis. As a post-bacc student, Jamie is working in Dr. Silver's Stress & Coping Lab and taking courses at UCI to further hone in on her interests in clinical psychology and academic counseling. Upon completing the post-bacc program, she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in one of these two fields.

Haley graduated magna cum laude from UCLA in 2023 with a B.S in psychobiology. While at UCLA, she worked as a research assistant in the Anxiety and Depression Research Center examining the use of Virtual Reality in the treatment of depressive symptoms. As part of the post-bacc program, she will be working in Dr. Kuhlman’s Teen Resilience lab and taking courses focusing on clinical psychology and research methods. She is interested in the intersection between psychology and biology and in investigating biopsychosocial risk factors for anxiety and depression in adolescence. After completing the post-bacc program, Haley plans to pursue a Ph.D in clinical psychology and eventually become a professor. 

Taylor graduated with honors from Occidental College in May 2023 with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in philosophy. As an undergraduate student, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Nancy Dess and Dr. Clinton Chapman's rat laboratory and studied behavior and emotion in rats selectively bred on voluntary saccharin intake. Additionally, she was an applied research intern at Placer Mosquito and Vector Control District (PMVCD) during the summer of 2023, researching perceptions and patterns of DEET-based mosquito repellent utilizing a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) model. As a post-bacc student, Taylor is expanding and deepening her knowledge in psychological sciences through working with Dr. Belinda Campos' Culture, Relationships, and Health (CRH) Laboratory and through taking courses such as Applied Statistics and the Science & Practice of Compassion. Her research interests revolve around advancing the understanding of how individual differences, such as personality, cultural background, and racial identity, influence measures of psychological well-being in adolescents. After completing the post-bacc program, Taylor aims to earn a Ph.D. in social & personality psychology. 

Samar graduated summa cum laude from San Diego State University in May of 2023 with a B.A in psychology, emphasizing in neuroscience. While at SDSU, she was a part of the Translational Emotion Neuroscience and Development (TEND) laboratory, which aimed to understand the neural basis of emotions in children using fMRI technology. In the post-bacc program, she is working in Dr. Rao’s Biobehavioral Research on Adolescent Development (BRoAD) lab and taking courses focusing on clinical psychology and neuropsychology. Outside of UCI, she is volunteering for the Crisis Text Line.  She is interested in mood disorders among young adults, and she hopes to enter a Psy.D program to eventually become a practitioner for treating these disorders. 

Robert graduated from Chapman University in December 2022 with a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance and a B.A. in Political Science; during his time at Chapman, he was a member of the University Honors Program. After realizing that a career in acting wasn’t a good fit, Robert began orienting himself towards a career that did more for those in need. As a child with ADHD and other learning disabilities, he knows how valuable a diagnosis can be, and he is aiming for a career in child assessment to help neurodivergent children in disadvantaged communities get access to the resources they need. As a post-bacc student, Robert is currently working as a research assistant in Dr. Borelli’s Health, Relationships, & Interventions (THRIVE) lab while also taking classes centered around clinical practice. Robert has worked in clinical settings previously, including drug addiction treatment centers. After completing the post-bacc program, he aims to attend a PsyD program.

Olivia graduated with honors and academic awards from Grinnell College in May 2022 with a major in Anthropology. As an undergraduate student, she conducted two ethnographic research projects under the supervision of her advisor, examining the ways in which authenticity was manufactured within study abroad programs in Barcelona as well as the dynamics of local resistance to perceived over-tourism in Edinburgh. As an upperclassman, Olivia was increasingly drawn toward medical and psychological anthropology. A personal highlight of her medical anthropology coursework includes researching how managed care’s influence on eating disorder treatment impacts and contradicts patient recovery narratives. After graduation, Olivia spent a year working as a Behavioral Health Technician at an intensive residential eating disorder treatment center. In this role, she supported pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients, and she discovered a passion for working in a clinical environment. As a post-bacc student, Olivia is taking courses to prepare her for clinical practice and is currently working as a research assistant in Dr. Borelli’s THRIVE (The Health, Relationships, and Intervention) lab. Her research interests include disordered eating across cultural contexts and stages of development, as well as cultural competence in clinical practice. After completing this program, Olivia plans to pursue a Psy.D. in clinical psychology.

Daria graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2023 with a B.A. in English, where she worked in Dr. Alison Gopnik’s Cognitive Development & Learning Lab and conducted a study examining how children determine what characteristics make a difference in how an agent is treated and perceived (i.e. race and gender) through a puppet show. For the majority of her working and academic career, she has worked with children of all ages, ranging from two-year-olds to high schoolers. She spent a summer working as a teaching fellow with the educational non-profit Breakthrough Silicon Valley, where she taught literature and dance classes. She has also worked with non-verbal autistic children and assisted them in learning how to use alternative forms of communication (such as AAC devices), acclimate to classroom settings, and engage with their peers. As a post-bacc student, Daria is working as a research assistant in Dr. Klemfuss’ Child Narratives Lab and hopes to spend more one-on-one time working with toddlers and developing children in a clinical capacity. Daria’s research interests lie in the purpose of imaginative play across cultures, and she is currently looking to pursue a Ph.D. in either clinical or developmental psychology.

Dani graduated from Southwestern University in 2011 with a B.A. in both political science and Latin American studies. They also earned an M.A. degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles in 2019. Since then, they have worked as an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in community clinic settings, including Airport Marina Counseling Service and Coldwater Counseling Center. They have worked as a research assistant in Dr. Borelli's Health, Relationships, and Interventions (THRIVE) lab and Dr. Piff's Morality, Emotions, and Social Hierarchy (MESH) lab. Their goal is to join a Ph.D. program and conduct graduate-level research. Dani’s research interests include studying psychological and medical anthropology, specifically as it pertains to social determinants of health, ritualistic behavior, and conceptualizations of pain, empathy, and healing in communal living.  During their time in our program, Dani has been taking courses in Advanced Research Methods, Social Psychology, Statistical Analysis, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Social Epidemiology, and Applied Statistics, and outside of UCI, they have been working as a research assistant at Solidarity Research Center.

Annette graduated magna cum laude from the University of San Diego with a B.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Sociology in 2022. She is currently working as a medical scribe at the Children's Hospital of Orange County and as a clinical data coordinator at Hoag. As a post-bacc student, Annette has been working in Dr. Kuhlman's Teen Resilience Lab and has been taking classes such as Clinical Psychology and the Science & Practice of Compassion. After completing the post-bacc program, Annette plans on applying to medical school in hopes of becoming a physician. She is interested in specializing in psychiatry or neurology but is keeping an open mind. 

Amy graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior. As an undergraduate, Amy took courses in Clinical Neuroscience, Lifespan Developmental Psychology, and Child Therapies, which sparked her interest towards child psychology. In addition, she completed an internship at Child Abuse Services Team (CAST). Working directly with child victims of abuse was a valuable experience that grew her passion towards child psychology. As a post-bacc student, Amy is currently working as a research assistant in Dr. Schueller’s Technology and Mental Health (TEAM) lab. Through the post-bacc program, she hopes to gain further hands-on experience, including research and clinical experience, and apply to graduate programs in developmental psychology.

Liam graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in August 2021 with a BS in Psychology and Brain Sciences. While at UCSB, Liam worked as a research assistant in Dr. Greg Ashby’s Laboratory for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience under PhD candidate Paul Kovacs. After graduation, Liam worked in the Applied Behavioral Analysis field as a behavioral technician working with young children with autism. Liam is currently involved with Dr. Kate Kuhlman’s Teen Resilience Lab here at UCI, where he works as a research assistant. Through enrollment in and eventual completion of the post-bacc program in psychological science at UCI, Liam hopes to gain further valuable experience in a research setting as well as additional course credit which will prove useful in one day attaining a terminal graduate degree and beginning a career as a clinical psychologist.

Isaac graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a B.S. in Psychobiology and a minor in Central American studies. During his time at UCLA, he took on multiple roles to support his underserved and underrepresented communities, such as working as an academic peer counselor for Latinx students and volunteering for the LGBTQ+ Campus Resource Center. Prior to graduating from UCLA, he began his journey as a research assistant in two psychology labs that investigate the psychological factors that impact the overall health of individuals. He is currently interested in how relationships, community, and cultural organizations impact the physical and mental health of minority groups. As a post-bacc student, Isaac is taking classes such as Advanced Research Methods while also working as the Student Affairs Specialist for UCI’s CalTeach program and being a mentor for UCI's LGBTQ+ mentorship program. After completion of the post-bacc program, Isaac plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Health/Social Psychology.

Danielle (she/her) graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Psychobiology. During her undergraduate years, she worked in two labs - in Dr. Chavira’s CALMA lab (where she helped explore the mental health needs and acculturative stress of underserved groups) and in Dr. Bath's Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) lab (where she examined substance use profiles and treatment needs of judicially-involved CSE youth). After graduating, she spent her first postgraduate year working as an administrative assistant for the Los Angeles Department of Health Services on a project that helped mitigate COVID-19 amongst people experiencing homelessness. In this role, she learned how to collaborate with stakeholders in local government and in the community, analyze public health data, and understand client needs, and she helped lead over 20 Moderna and Pfizer vaccine presentations at shelters and interim housing sites in the South Los Angeles community. Upon the conclusion of this project, Danielle continued to work a few roles in the clinical industry (e.g., behavioral technician for youth with autism, crisis counselor for the teen suicide prevention hotline) to explore her clinical interests. Danielle has a passion for working with youth and would like to examine risk and protective factors in the development of serious mental illness (SMI) in Black and Latinx adolescents. For the past two years, Danielle has been working as a research assistant at WestEd where she  conducts qualitative research at the intersection of education and juvenile justice. During her time in the post-bacc program, she will be working in Dr. Schiffman's Leading Exploration and Analysis in the Psychosis Spectrum (LEAPS) lab and hopes to obtain more experience in psychopathology-related research.  She plans to apply to PhD programs in clinical and counseling psychology in Fall 2024.

Harper graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2023 with a B.A. in Psychology. As an undergraduate student, Harper worked as a research assistant for the Community Health Interventions and Resilience Promotion (CHIRP) lab, where she was involved in community-based participatory research aiming to address mental and physical health disparities through community-oriented interventions. Through her research, Harper helped develop an intervention to understand and improve Black men’s health-related quality of life. She received second place for her poster presentation about understanding one’s positionality while using qualitative coding at Discover USC and is a co-author on an article published in the American Journal of Community Psychology. As a post-bacc student, Harper is currently working in Dr. Zalta’s Trauma and Resilience Lab and taking courses such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Personality Disorders. After completing the post-bacc program, Harper plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Sarah graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with a BA in International Relations and the Global Economy and a Climate Science minor. While at USC, Sarah served as a Team Lead in the Security and Political Economy (SPEC) Lab, where she developed a love for the research process. After graduation, Sarah worked as a data analyst and researcher in public health and natural resource policy before deciding on a career change. During the post-bacc program, Sarah has been working in Dr. Lukowski’s Infants, Children, and Families (INCHES) Lab; as part of this lab, she will be presenting posters at the 2024 Association for Psychological Science conference in San Francisco and the 2024 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program conference at UC Irvine.  In addition, she has been completing courses in Research Design, Abnormal Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Lifespan Developmental Psychology, Advanced Psychological Research Methods, Applied Statistics, and Social Psychology.  Most recently (April 2024), she accepted a full-time, paid Clinical Research Coordinator position at the University of Washington's Multiple Sclerosis Rehab & Wellness Center, and she will begin that position in mid-July (after completing our program).  In the coming years, she hopes to go on to research adolescent eating disorders and earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Charlie graduated in 2023 from the University of Lynchburg with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences. During his time at the university, Charlie’s interest in the brain was largely driven by his minor in neuroscience - but in his senior year, he enrolled in a Neuropsychology course and discovered a passion for the field of psychology as well. As a member of the orchestra and wind symphony, Charlie combined his love for music with his love for science, research, and the brain, conducting an independent research project titled “Exploring the Use of EEG-Based Machine Learning to Predict Music-Related Brain Activity” to fulfill his senior thesis requirement for his honors college curriculum. Charlie aims to gain experience in both clinical and lab-based research settings while attending the post-bacc program, working in Dr. Piff's Morality, Emotion, and Social Hierarchy (MESH) lab and conducting field study internships. These skills will bolster his abilities as a scientist and researcher and help him achieve his goal of earning a PhD in cognitive science. 

Gabriela graduated Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Fullerton with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice. As an undergraduate student, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Espinoza’s Forensic Psychology lab and Dr. Ben Hagai’s Intersectional Consciousness lab. In working with Dr. Espinoza, Gabriela participated in the criminal court study, a quantitative study examining whether aversive racism can help explain juror biases in cases of excessive force and manslaughter by law enforcement. In working with Dr. Ben Hagai, Gabriela participated in a study comparing Post-War/Baby Boomers with Millennial/Gen Z individuals regarding experiences with their sexuality and sexual orientation/gender identity discrimination. Regarding fieldwork, Gabriela spent two years volunteering with the Child Abuse Services Team in Orange and with Waymaker’s Sexual Assault Victim Services as a hospital respondent. Gabriela’s research interests include legal psychology, reactions to trauma, and sexual violence and prevention. As a post-baccalaureate student, Gabriela will be working with both Dr. Rinehart and Dr. Loftus in their research. After completing this program, Gabriela hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Forensic Psychology.

Alex graduated magna cum laude from the University of San Diego with a BBA in Marketing and a minor in Communication Studies. Alex’s experience as a competitive rock climber and the coach of a competitive youth climbing team ignited her interest in the impact of emotional functioning on performance and learning. She continues to work with children as an ABA therapist and also volunteers as a crisis counselor with the Crisis Text Line.  As a post-bacc student, she currently works as a research assistant in both Dr. Elizabeth Martin’s Behaviors, Emotions, and Affective Neuroscience (BEAN) Lab and  Dr. Elizabeth Loftus’ Eyewitness Memory Lab. Her research interests include memory, learning, and the impact of memory on emotional functioning. She plans to continue to develop as a researcher and apply to Psy.D. and Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology upon completion of the program.

Anh graduated from University of California, Irvine (UCI) with a B.A. in Psychological Science and minors in Biological Science and Criminology, Law, & Society. While there, she volunteered at an occupational therapy clinic that works with special-needs children. She also interned at Nancy Clarks & Associates, Inc. (an alternative sentencing program) where she assisted clients of correctional background, struggling with mental health and substance abuse. As a post-bacc student, Anh will be working with Dr. Zalta's Trauma & Resilience Lab while completing her coursework. Her research interest lies in forensic psychology, specifically why traumas produce different outcomes (especially criminal ones) in different individuals. Outside of UCI, she is also volunteering on the Sexual Assault Victims hotline and working part-time as a TMS/Spravato Technician at a psychiatric clinic. After completing the post-bacc program, she hopes to earn an M.A. in Forensic Psychology and a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. 

Teresa graduated cum laude from California Baptist University in December 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology, a concentration in Forensic Psychology, and a minor in Criminal Justice.  After graduation, she joined the Second Chance Unit at the San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Office, a pilot program dedicated to assisting individuals with resentencing and supporting them via individual reentry plans and an extensive reentry support network to help meet their needs upon release from incarceration and to reduce recidivism.  Her research interests include adolescent development and criminogenic factors, sentence disparities and inequities within the criminal justice system, the efficacy of diversion programs, recidivism reduction, and reintegration support.  She is currently in Dr. Cauffman’s Development, Disorder, and Delinquency (3D) Lab, and she is taking courses such as Advanced Research Methods and Eyewitness Testimony.  In addition, in April 2024, Teresa and her research group presented a poster at the Western Psychological Association (WPA) conference in San Francisco, for which they received the Steven Ungerleider Research Award from WPA.  Outside of UCI, she volunteers for the San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Office as a record expungement volunteer, assisting individuals with clearing criminal records and connecting them with community resources.  After completion of the post-bacc program, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology and continue exploring research that integrates psychology and law. 

Kivin earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cal State Fullerton in 2023.  He has internship/externship experience within data analytics and consulting for companies such as Deloitte, Credera, HP Tech, Toyota Solutions, and Cal State Fullerton. During his time in the post-bacc program, Kivin is working as a research assistant in Dr. Campos’ Culture, Relationships, & Health Lab, and his hobbies include watching and playing all kinds of sports.  His goal is to earn a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and to work with companies in work transformation, organizational change management, human capital, or analytics. 

Agnes graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Psychology (Clinical concentration) in May 2022. During her time at CMU, she developed her passion for research through the Infant Cognition Lab and then the Behavioral Health Research Lab, where she continued to work full-time for a year after graduation. She also volunteered as a telephone support specialist at the Peer Support & Advocacy Network Warmline in Pittsburgh. As part of the post-bacc program, Agnes will be working in Dr. Rao's Biobehavioral Research on Adolescent Development (BRoAD) Lab and in Dr. Alyson Zalta's Trauma & Resilience Lab. Her research interests include addictive disorders (e.g., risk and protective factors, craving, recovery) and associated comorbid disorders (e.g., trauma). After completing the post-bacc program, Agnes hopes to earn a PhD in clinical psychology.

David graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Psychology in 2012. He has always been interested in the innerworkings of the mind as well as the brain; thus, he decided to pursue a career in medicine. After graduating, David completed course work to apply for medical school and briefly attended Touro University California—however, he realized that his passion was for studying psychology rather than medicine. During his time in the post-bacc program, David has been working as a research assistant in Dr. Hoyt's Behavioral Medicine Research Lab and is taking course work in Clinical Psychology, Applied Statistics, Biological Psychology, and more. He hopes that the post-bacc program will help guide him to the graduate program that best reflects how he wishes to utilize his passion for psychology to help others.