Introducing the 2022 Summer Research Initiative Scholars

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is proud to welcome a talented cohort of scholars and researchers to our community through the Summer Research Initiative (SRI). For more than 20 years, the SRI has fulfilled its mission to increase the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing graduate degrees in social, behavioral and economic studies.

Since its founding in 1999, a diverse group of scholars travels to College Park annually to partner with respected faculty members and mentors from BSOS and other units across campus to gain laboratory experience, knowledge and skills in an effort to prepare participants for doctoral-level study in their academic fields.

Joy Anyanwu is a sociology major at UMD with a minor in Black women’s studies. Her research interests are Black women and individuals who identify as queer, with a special focus on those who live in Africa or are African immigrants. As a research assistant in UMD’s Black Child and Family Lab, Anyanwu has aided research regarding the emotional and racial socialization of Black children. In the future, she plans to pursue a Master’s Degree and hopes to conduct her own research. Additionally, Anyanwu would like to publish research on anti-Blackness and the African queer experience. She hopes to practice law and provide legal counsel and change policy regarding reproductive justice, LGBT rights, and drug abuse. Anyanwu is mentored by Professor Liana Sayer of the Department of Sociology.

Faith T. Hudnall attends Morgan State University in Baltimore and is a native of the city. She is a junior majoring in psychology major with a minor in religious studies. Hudnall also is a scholar of the ASCEND Center for Biomedical Research, where she is developing a project investigating the effects of COVID-19 on social and educational interaction as well as perceived mental health. Her primary research interests are social and behavioral psychology. She is a member of the International Honors Society in Psychology as well as the Clara I. Adams Honors College. Hudnall hopes that her participation in the SRI will help her gain the experiences and skills to become a more competitive candidate for a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Her career goals include research and teaching at an institution of higher learning. Hudnall is mentored by Dr. Heather Yarger and Dr. Elizabeth Redcay of the Department of Psychology. 

Jaelah Jupiter is a rising senior at UMD majoring in computational Earth observation science. Their research interests include anthropogenic-induced land use, land cover change mapping, and terrestrial mapping of carbon fluxes. Jupiter wishes to use these focus areas in research with NASA or NOAA and further the development of precision mapping. Jupiter plans to pursue a master’s or a doctoral degree in remote sensing. They also plan to be a mentor to others and contribute to the increase of diversity within the geographical sciences field. Jupiter is mentored by Professor Matthew Hansen of the Department of Geographical Sciences. 

Maya Kerr Coste is a rising senior at The Ohio State University where she pursues a double major in international studies (security and intelligence) and criminology and criminal justice.  She is working toward a minor in international​conflict and peace studies. Coste is also a Morrill Scholar and is pursuing a certificate in diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a research assistant for a sociological project on the perceptions of discrimination in the United States. Her research interests are in the sociology of terrorists and terrorism and to conduct research to aid with counterterrorism efforts in either academia or government agencies. Coste hopes the SRI will help to prepare her for graduate school and broaden her skills needed to excel in her field of interest. Ultimately, she plans to obtain her doctoral degree and likely return to an institution of higher learning as a faculty member and researcher. Kerr Coste is mentored by Dr. Michael Jensen, Senior Researcher at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).

Mia Lulli attends UMD as a double major in Spanish and psychology and loves learning how these two fields intersect. Her biggest research interest lies in psycholinguistics. Lulli has worked with Associate Professor Robert Slevc in the Language and Music Cognition Lab for two semesters and is thrilled to continue this work this summer. Her current project examines code-switching in Spanish and English bilingual individuals utilizing eye-tracker technology. She hopes to gain the research knowledge and experience necessary to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology through the SRI. Lulli’s future goals include gaining an understanding on how language affects emotional processing and to become a mental health advocate for Spanish speakers within the United States. Lulli is mentored by Dr. Robert Slevc, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Psychology. 

Tsion Mamo attends Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., and is a politics major with a minor in media studies. Her specific fields of interest for research include American politics, Africana studies, and political theory. In particular, her subfields of research interest include race, immigration, media representation, American law, and the incarceration system. Recently, Mamo was awarded the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, a program dedicated to increasing diversity in the ranks of institutions of higher learning. In the future, Mamo plans to pursue a doctorate degree and return to an institution of higher learning as a faculty member. Mamo is mentored by Professor Chinyere Osuji in the Department of African American Studies.

Laura Mendez-Pinto is an undergraduate honors student at UMD studying government and politics with a concentration in international relations, and is a member of the university’s Latin American and Caribbean Studies certificate program. Mendez-Pinto is a member of the Association of Latinx Professionals for America, and a member of UMD’s Alpha Zeta chapter of the national political science honors society, Pi Sigma Alpha. She also volunteers for MarylandPIRG’s Student Climate Coalition, with the intention of helping pass climate conscious policy in Maryland. Mendez-Pinto’s research interests center around the study of behavioral science, focusing predominantly on socio-political behavior and the formation of political institutions in the Latin American region. She wishes to apply political science to historical analysis, and ultimately bring to life the rich socio-political history of the region. Mendez-Pinto plans to pursue a doctorate degree in political science, with the intention of becoming a professor. She wishes to foster inclusivity and new forms of interdisciplinary thought in her prospective students. Mendez-Pinto is mentored by Professor Ernesto Calvo of the Department of Government and Politics.

Jeymi Menendez is a rising senior at UMD majoring in psychology and minoring in technology entrepreneurship. Her research focuses on language acquisition, bilingualism, and studies on minority development in the United States. She works with the Language and Music Cognition Lab at UMD, where she has been aiding in research with language cognitive process research. Along with the summer SRI program, Menendez wishes to narrow the focus of her research, gain knowledge and skills to pursue a Ph.D. in counseling psychology. Additionally, she wishes to pursue a career in higher education as a psychology professor. Menendez is mentored by Dr. Robert Slevc, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Psychology.  

Mia Moore is a rising senior at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. She majors in history with minors in social justice studies and in sociology. She is from the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Moore is a member of Roosevelt University’s Honors Program, a McNair Scholar, a Joan Deutsch Herczeg Scholar, and a member of the first cohort of the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation’s Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement. More plans to attend graduate school to study African American studies, history, sociology, or library sciences. Her previous research experience includes working as the research fellow for The Jane Project, an experiential, interdisciplinary, co-curricular Honors Exchange between Roosevelt University and the University of Illinois Chicago in which students studied “Janes” in Chicago (Jane Addams, Jane Byrne, and Jane Collective) through a variety of frames related to identity and naming. Moore’s current research interests include the use of music as a device for sociopolitical commentary, educational pedagogy, and racial conflict theory. Moore is mentored by Douglas McElrath, Director in the University Libraries; Lae’l Hughes, University Archivist in the Universities Libraries; Dr. Quincy Mills, Professor in the Department of History, and Dr. Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Professor and Chair in the Department of Anthropology.

Joyce Okoye is a rising senior at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is a psychology major with a minor in human development, with aspirations to become a clinical psychologist. Originally from Willingboro, N.J., Okoye has come to D.C to pursue her career goals and broaden her experiences within the social sciences field. She is a multi-scholarship recipient, including the Irvin D. Reid and Pamela Trotman Reid scholarship and the Medtronic Foundation scholarship. Okoye is a research assistant at Georgetown University, aiding in work related to early education and adults who experience workplace stress. Her research interests include child development, maternal health, and the psychological welfare of people who live in underserved communities. Additionally, Okoye strives to be an advocate for people of color, and is involved in organizations on campus that offer support to minority groups. After she graduates with her B.S. in psychology, Okoye plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Okoye is mentored by Professor Arianna Gard of the Department of Psychology. 

Olivia Sanchez is a second-year graduate student at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA). Her research interests draw from the sociology of education, particularly the educational experiences of marginalized student bodies. Sanchez is working on her master’s degree in sociology and will be pursuing a doctorate degree in the future. Her current thesis analyzes the impact of the pandemic on the educational experiences of first-generation and transfer students at CSULA. Additionally, Olivia has been working with grades K-8 as a response to intervention specialist as well as a writing consultant for the graduate resource center at CSULA. Her extensive experience within the field of education has broadened her research interests to include the impact of educational institutions on the life course of marginalized students. Sanchez’s future career goals involve gaining employment at a research-centered university where she can teach and publish on the sociology of education. Sanchez is mentored by Dr. Wade Jacobsen and Dr. Maria Velez, Professors in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Andrea Simons is originally from Baltimore and attends UMD. She is a senior majoring in hearing and speech sciences, and her area of research interest is how race and familial income impacts the deaf and the hard-of-hearing. One of her many reasons for being interested in the SRI was that students are given the opportunity to push themselves and grow as both a person and an academic under the guidance of a faculty member who cares about them. Simons hopes that this developmental period under the guidance of both faculty and her peers will equip her with the research and communication tools needed to attain a doctorate in audiology; hopefully an Au.D. One of her most recent participation in research has been as a volunteer for a lab for neuroplasticity and how that impacts the auditory system as we age. Simons is mentored by Dr. Samira Anderson, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences.

Caylee Song Bergreen is a rising senior at UMD. She is a double major in history and in criminology and criminal justice, with a minor in Asian American studies. Her primary research interests include eighteenth and nineteenth century American history. Ultimately, her goal is to pursue a doctoral degree in history and become a history professor. At present, Song Bergreen works as an intern for Empire State Engagements, an interview show under the New York State Museum. She has worked as the Webmaster of the Asian American Student Union and will be one of the Vice Presidents of Internal Affairs for the coming year. She hopes her experience in the SRI will provide her with valuable research skills, preparation for graduate school, and invaluable mentoring from UMD faculty. Song Bergree is mentored by Douglas McElrath, Director in the University Libraries; Lae’l Hughes, University Archivist in the Universities Libraries; Dr. Quincy Mills, Professor in the Department of History, and Dr. Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Professor and Chair in the Department of Anthropology.

Angelica Cristina Vega is a rising senior at Hunter College of the City University of New York. She is a McNair scholar, a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society in Psychology, and is pursuing a double major in clinical psychology and studio art. Vega is of Puerto Rican descent, and has received various awards and recognition for her artistic and activism efforts to raise awareness of mental health education. Vega has served as a research assistant and data coder with the Thinking Dog Center at Hunter College’s Department of Psychology. She has also served as a research assistant for the Collective for Urban Student Research at Bronx Community College, collecting and organizing data to assist with research design and methods studying mental health education programming in college settings. Vega’s research interests include the developmental and emotional needs of those in late adolescence through later life stages, exploring how different interventions or therapeutic approaches impact people at different stages of life in various settings. Her goals include earning her doctorate toward becoming a researcher, mentor, and professor in psychology, a field where representation in the sciences and academia matters, and motivating the next generation of thinkers, leaders, and dreamers to keep vital mental health conversations moving forward. Vega is mentored by Professor Arianna Gard of the Department of Psychology. 

Published on Wed, May 25, 2022 - 1:06PM