Stephen is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at NYU Steinhardt. Broadly, he is interested in how stress, particularly in contexts of socioeconomic disadvantage, affects brain and cognitive development. At the ISLAND lab, Stephen uses electrophysiological and behavioral measures to investigate how stress can be transmitted between a caregiver and child during dynamic social interactions. He further intends to use this research to better inform parenting and education interventions and programs to improve outcomes, especially for underprivileged and disadvantaged groups.

Sarah is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at NYU Steinhardt. She received a B.A. in Psychology and French from the University of Rochester in 2016. She is interested in how early life adversity, specifically economic and social adversities, influence the development of executive functions, and mechanisms that may shape those relationships. In the ISLAND lab, Sarah studies relations between early life experiences, the gut microbiome, and cognitive development. Prior to attending NYU, Sarah worked as a lab manager for two years with Dr. Laura Germine at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Ayomide is a rising senior at McMaster University, pursuing a major in honors life science and minor in psychology. She is also working on her thesis examining Her thesis topic is how adverse experiences due to an individual’s stigmatized identities during childhood and adolescence impact their mental well-being in adulthood.
After she graduates, she hope to pursue graduate studies in the field of clinical psychology. Ayo is continuing with ISLAND after being a NYU QUEST scholar this summer.

Ivelisse just graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, Rίo Piedras Campus, and got her bachelor's degree in Psychology. She has previously worked with Dr. John Jost in a collaborative project between the University of PR and the Social Justice Lab at NYU focused on Puerto Rican's perceptions of the political status of the island. She hopes to refine and diversify her research knowledge and abilities by assisting in the ISLAND Lab. Specifically, she is interested in maternal mental health and its influences on infant language acquisition for both monolinguals and bilinguals.

Nicole is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology at NYU. She is interested in cognitive development, psycholinguistics, as well as the factors that influence infant resilience. Nicole plans to continue her education, combining her knowledge of developmental and behavioral psychology with medical studies. As a research assistant in the ISLAND Lab, Nicole contributes to the COPE study, hoping to expand her understanding of social and environmental factors that influence neurodevelopment.

Hillary Allison Ortiz is a first-year graduate student at NYU pursuing her Master’s in Psychology with a Clinical Neuroscience concentration. She is interested in neurocognitive development and how culture, socioeconomic status, or overall environment influence childhood in underrepresented racial/ethnic minority communities. She is excited about joining the ISLAND Lab and gaining further research experience as she hopes to continue to pursue her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Lucy is a rising junior majoring in B.S Degree in Applied Psychology at NYU. She is interested in the fields of developmental psychology, neuroscience, and psycholinguistics. Lucy anticipates pursuing a career in the field of education, so she is excited to join the ISLAND lab to expand her knowledge of children’s cognitive and social-emotional development. She also looks forward to improving her research skills by contributing to the COPE projects, where she can additionally learn the potential effects of the pandemic on children and other insights that are useful for her future career.

Amaani was a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S in Psychology at the University of Bath, completing a year-long internship at the ISLAND Lab as part of her degree. She is interested in developmental psychology - particularly focusing on risk factors that affect development and whether protective factors can be developed to counteract them. As a research assistant at the ISLAND lab, Amaani will be expanding her knowledge of this topic by looking at the effects of COVID-19 on families in the COPE study. She is delighted to join the lab and team this year as she broadens both her knowledge and research skills.

Grace is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in applied psychology on the pre-health track at NYU. She is interested in neuroscience/neurocognitive development, environmental and biological factors influencing development, and making research more accessible and understandable to the general public. She is excited to learn and make meaningful contributions to the ISLAND Lab that will support caregivers and their children.

Amelia is a third year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience at Barnard College. She is interested in understanding how the brain develops during the early years and how it influences behavior, as well as how factors such as bilingualism and socioeconomic status play a role. She believes that comprehending these fundamental aspects is crucial for creating a nurturing environment that supports healthy growth and development in children. As an aspiring medical student, she is constantly seeking opportunities to broaden her knowledge, and enhance her research skills. She is excited to join ISLAND Lab!

Alexa Guzman is a third year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S in Psychology and a minor in Spanish and Latin American Studies at Barnard College. She is interested in understanding psychology's greatest question of nature versus nurture, and how different home environments impact childhood development in the first few years of life through various factors. She believes that mental health should be accessible to all, and resources should be easily available to families from diverse backgrounds. She is excited to join the ISLAND lab this summer!

Marielle Sauber is a rising junior undergraduate student pursuing a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Spanish at Smith College. She is interested in understanding how diverse backgrounds and experiences impact childhood neurological development in the first years of life. She is excited to join the ISLAND Lab and have the opportunity to conduct research that investigates the intersection of childhood development and public health. Marielle is passionate about creating equitable spaces within the medical field to ensure all children have access to the care they need to thrive. Marielle is thrilled to be a research assistant in the ISLAND Lab this summer!

Kelechi is a rising Sophomore at New York University pursuing a combined major in Global Public Health and Applied Psychology with an intended minor in Genetics. She is interested in exploring the different ways in which public health and psychology intersect, which she is excited to learn more about in the COPE Study. Kelechi is passionate about ensuring all individuals have equal access to healthcare and is delighted to be a research assistant in the ISLAND lab this Summer.

Kyla is a rising sophomore pursuing a degree in Applied Psychology and History at NYU. Her public-spirited virtues and fondness for research are driven by her intense passion in harnessing the principles of developmental and educational psychology and the power of the legal system. Her experience as a Community Affairs Liaison for New York State Assemblymember Steven Raga influenced her to advocate for family protection and children’s rights. Her goal is to create equitable, inspiring, and transformative learning environments for all children to thrive. Kyla is thrilled to join the ISLAND Lab as a research assistant and aims to further her career by attending law school!

Nikita is a non-binary disabled researcher from India. She is an aspiring Speech Language Pathologist and hopes to apply for grad school in the near future to continue her clinical research interests. She is interested in investigating how poverty/inequality has adverse effects on the infant-toddler’s brain and cognitive development, especially population from the lower-middle income countries (LMICs). She hopes to understand how we can incorporate research to better assist to inform policies and in creating interventions for the underrepresented population. She is very excited to join ISLAND Lab as she hopes to continue pursuing her interests and gain knowledge and experience by working in the lab.

Ashley is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology department. She received a B.A. from Swarthmore College in Neuroscience and Educational Studies. Broadly, she is interested in how adversity, particularly poverty, affects brain and cognitive development. With help from Swarthmore research advisers and Dr. Kimberly Noble at the Neurocogniton, Early Experience, and Development Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University, she wrote her senior thesis on socioeconomic disparities in infant recognition and recall memory development. In the ISLAND lab, she plans on continuing her research in infant executive functioning, language, and memory development across socioeconomic differences in order to ultimately inform intervention methods for infants before they begin formal schooling.

Tehmeena is the Data Manager at the ISLAND Lab. She helps with data collection for the COPE study, various coding tasks, and will be learning EEG and fNIRS processing. Tehmeena graduated from University of Virginia in 2019, where she pursued a B.A. in Cognitive Science with a Neuroscience concentration and a minor in Architecture. She aspires to be a strong advocate in community and public health, and is especially interested in preventative health and the gut-brain axis. She is also excited to integrate her interdisciplinary interests in neuroscience and technology, learn from the communities we work closely with, and help address health inequities through her work at the ISLAND Lab.

Mahima is a second-year Master's student at Teachers College, Columbia University working towards a degree in Neuroscience and Education with a focus in Early Childhood Policymaking working towards finding a balance between her love for research and wanting to get into the nitty gritty of policymaking. She is passionate about sustainable, preventative, and trauma-informed interventions and strategies that seek to support caregivers in caring for their children - and themselves - holistically. Specifically, she is interested in the role that siblings and sibling relationships may be able to play in facilitating healthy and fulfilling family dynamics. She has big dreams of creating a “Love Education” program to facilitate the development of socioemotional skills, a deep passion for learning, and self-love.

Rebecca is an incoming sophomore at Barnard College pursuing her B.A. in Psychology. She is interested in both developmental and social psychology. Rebecca looks forward to working at the ISLAND lab and examining both the biological and environmental factors that play critical roles in how children develop. She is especially excited to do this as part of the COPE study which explores the widely unknown effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child development.

Dismell was a senior at NYU completing a B.A. in Psychology and is working with ISLAND Lab as part of her honors thesis. She hopes to pursue a career as a child psychologist in a clinical setting. She wants any future therapy she provides children and their families to be directly informed by the developmental psychology field. Dismell is particularly interested in how a child’s environment can affect their socioemotional development and in identifying different ways that parents and caregivers can aid their children in said development. She is very excited to join ISLAND Lab and to gain more research experience!

Shambaleed was a senior majoring in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is interested in the intersection between developmental, neuro, and forensic psychology and how early childhood experiences impact brain development and serve as a precursor for deviant behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. She is super excited to join the ISLAND lab as a research assistant on the COPE project and hopes to gain more exposure to research with children and families. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and continue to study the effects of early childhood experiences on brain development.

Abby was a senior at New York University. She is working toward a B.S. in Applied Psychology, and is also following the pre-health track. Abby is pursuing a career in forensic medicine. She is interested in the forensic side of psychology, such as witness testimonies, as well as how behavior develops throughout one’s life based on crucial events in childhood. She is thrilled to be a part of the ISLAND lab as a research assistant and to learn more about working in the field of psychology!

Valeria was in her third year at the University of Bath in England completing a BSc Psychology degree, and is a Research Assistant at the ISLAND Lab as part of a year-long internship requirement of her degree. She is excited to start her work at an overseas institution, and in doing so explore the career path of developmental psychology research. She is especially interested in how technology is used to observe child behaviors and how this is coded, as well as the practical implications of results. She looks forward to contributing to the lab and benefitting from working with a diverse team!

Hawa is a junior pursuing her B.S. in Applied Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. She is interested in exploring the role of cultural background on childhood and adolescent neurocognitive development and mental health. In the past, Hawa has worked in Early Childhood Education collecting infant sleep data and designing educational curriculum to improve social and school-readness skills. Her goal is to pursue graduate studies in psychology in hopes of conducting research. Hawa is excited to join the ISLAND lab as she hopes to gain further experience to support her academic journey in research.

Nehal graduated from NYU in 2023 with a B.S in Biology and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Studies. Nehal has a passion for medicine and hopes to work with children as a physician. Her goal is to help spearhead change in underprivileged/minority communities through research and advocacy. While working as a research assistant at the ISLAND Lab, she is excited to gain valuable research skills which will help her in the future as a student and physician.

Aileen graduated with a B.S Degree in Applied Psychology at NYU in 2023. She is interested in how developmental, and societal implications in childhood impact executive functioning, guide emotional behavior, and facilitate growth. Aileen aims to pursue a Master’s Degree in developmental psychology after graduation and anticipates becoming a clinical child psychologist. Aileen is excited to join the ISLAND lab to further improve her skills and expertise in research through expanding her knowledge on parent-child relationships in the home environment.

Haruka is a junior pursuing Accelerated BS in Applied Psychology and MA in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness Major at NYU Steinhardt. Haruka is passionate about the acculturation process and its relation to psychosocial adjustment for immigrant minorities and how she can contribute to advocate and reform cross-cultural validity of diagnostic and assessment instruments. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career as a bilingual, transnational psychologist in the US and in Japan. As a research assistant at the ISLAND Lab, Haruka hopes to gain more research skills as she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.

Lisa graduated from NYU in 2023 with a B.S. in Neural Science with a minor in Public Health. She is interested in the intersectionality between disparities of people in different socioeconomic status and the impact it has on childhood neurocognitive development. Specifically, she wonders how we can utilize the brain’s plasticity and identify methods that can ultimately lead to a better life for minority children with low socioeconomic status. As a new research assistant at the ISLAND lab, Lisa is excited to interact with families from eclectic backgrounds, as well as to gain a better understanding of the close relationship between brain and behavior.

Aissata is a rising junior at the Bronx High School of Science. As a person who grew up in an immigrant household, she has always been surrounded by people who are bilingual and who allowed her to experience different cultural practices. Aissata is interested in the cognitive development of children who grow up in bilingual vs. monolingual households and how this plays a role in their future. She is excited to join the ISLAND lab this summer and gain more knowledge on this topic!

Jenna is a rising junior at Smith College pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. She is especially interested in cognitive development, especially as it relates to language acquisition. She looks forward to learning more about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on families through the COPE study at ISLAND, and is so excited to get to know the lab and team!

Audrey is a senior/first year master’s student pursuing a B.S./M.A. in Applied Psychology and in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness at New York University. She is interested in using counseling as a form of social justice with the perspectives of cultures, relationships, and intersectionality, and hopes to work with marginalized communities. She is interested in learning more about parent-child interactions and how the environment impacts infant development.

Isabelle is a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in chemistry. She is broadly interested in how children develop their perceptions of their environment in relation to future mental health outcomes. Isabelle aspires to enter medical school to then pursue a career as a child psychiatrist. She is excited to gain experience at the ISLAND Lab as a research assistant where she is able to learn not only proper research skills, but also firsthand experience in analyzing the psychological development in children.

Meera is a senior undergraduate student at NYU pursuing a joint B.S. in Applied Psychology and Global Public Health. Her interests combine both subjects as she seeks to research maternal health care equity—specifically how different healthcare systems can impact the children in these families—as well as how stigma affects the mental and physical health of these patients. As a new ISLAND Lab Research Assistant, Meera is excited to gain research experience as it helps her on her path to becoming a Clinical Child Psychologist.

Natalia is a current Junior pursuing a B.S. in Applied Psychology. She is minoring in Chemistry and concentrating in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. Natalia hopes to continue studying the relationship between environment and psychology, particularly in children with mental illness. She hopes to enter the field of psychiatry and is excited to discover new findings as a Research Assistant at the ISLAND Lab.

Matthew is a rising junior on the premed track at Princeton studying Psychology, with certificates in Neuroscience and Music Theatre. He has been helping to write two articles with Annie, one of which focuses on maternal cortisol and resting EEG trajectories and the other which focuses on the neurophysiology of infant attention. He has also been helping with ECG data cleaning.

Grace is a first year graduate student at NYU pursuing her M.A. in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness. She is broadly interested in the psychological aspect of human growth and development. As a research assistant at the ISLAND Lab, Grace conducts data collection, performs behavioral coding, designs infographics, and transcribes Spanish interactions then translates those interactions to English. She is excited to gain experience as a research assistant, to be able to use her Spanish and design skills, and to learn more about psychological development in children during her time at the ISLAND Lab.

Julia is a second year undergraduate student at NYU pursuing her B.S. in Applied Psychology. She is interested in child and adolescent psychology, particularly how different forms of parenting and early relationships affect development. She is also interested in how disparities in socio-economic status and environment affect early development. As a research assistant at the ISLAND Lab, Julia primarily works on research surrounding interactions between 9 and 15 month old infants and their caregivers. She looks forward to expanding her knowledge on parent-child interactions as well as working with more families during her time at the ISLAND Lab.

Olivia graduated with a B.S. in applied psychology at NYU. She is super interested in child development and how their social and language development impacts their growth and brain development. Olivia also has a strong passion for child and adolescent mental health and ending the stigma surrounding it. Olivia is excited to join the ISLAND lab to gain research experience to help support her academic career in research.

Yuhan is a rising senior double-majoring in psychology and sociology at NYU. She is interested in how developmental, societal, and genetic factors may function to alleviate or exacerbate vulnerability to mental health conditions. Yuhan aims to pursue a master’s degree in mental health counseling after graduation and anticipates becoming a mental health counsellor. Yuhan is excited to join the ISLAND lab and to further improve knowledge and research skills through her experience as a research assistant.

Maya is a junior at NYU pursuing a B.S. in Applied Psychology. Prior to joining the ISLAND Lab, she worked as an advocate at ROSES, an intervention program for justice system-involved youth, and as a research assistant at the SCAN Lab studying fetal neuroscience. She is excited to continue investigating how various early environments affect language, cognitive, and socio-emotional development at the ISLAND Lab. She also hopes to explore how these findings can inform education policy and intervention models.

Jackie was a fifth-year graduate student pursuing her B.S. in Applied Psychology at NYU. Jackie was excited to join ISLAND Lab to further learn about how home environments and bilingualism affect child development. She aspires to work in the field of clinical or counseling psychology upon graduation and hopes to gain research skills here at the lab.

Liz is a junior at Rye High School in Rye, NY. Liz was inspired by the work of a local parenting program in Portchester, NY, which educates underprivileged parents (many of whom are bilingual) on their children’s development. She hopes to further explore the relationship between home language environment and children’s cognitive development. She is also excited to learn more about the research process.

John graduated in 2021 with a M.S. in Applied Statistics for Social Science Research from New York University. The connection between John and ISLAND Lab starts from NYU Steinhardt PRIISM Social Impact Research Fellowship Program in which Dr. Natalie Brito led John to study the association among family leave, infant brain function, and maternal stress. John looks forward to continuing his research as a Junior Research Scientist in PRIISM under Dr. Brito. He is delighted to support ISLAND Lab on statistical methods, and hopes to make a social impact through research on parent-children interaction as well as children development.

Buyong graduated from the Applied Psychology at NYU Steinhardt minoring in Business studies. She is interested in exploring the expressive treatments for children such as art and music therapy and finding the early diagnosis for children without traumatizing them. She is passionate about changing the perception of mental illness in our society, especially in underserved countries. By working in the ISLAND lab she hoped to improve skills to be a good researcher and to learn more about neurocognitive psychology with the hands-on experiences in the lab.

Carol received her Master's Degree at New York University (NYU) studying Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with B.A.s in Psychology and Spanish in 2018. During her undergraduate career, Carol worked on several research teams that focused on family dynamics, child psychopathology and language development. In joining ISLAND, she hoped to continue honing her research skills and understanding the effects of parenting on child neurocognitive development, particularly in underprivileged communities.

Nick is currently in his senior year of the Applied Psychology program at New York University. Prior to his membership at ISLAND lab, Nick was a research assistant at ROSES, a research-based intervention program oriented towards youth criminal justice and gender issues.
Nick is interested in the effects of stressors associated with socioeconomic status, and how they pertain to psychological and physiological well-being. As a research assistant at the ISLAND lab, Nick hopes to see how the knowledge attained regarding infant development can inform better policy-making.

Sarah is a second year student at New York University currently pursuing a B.S. in Applied Psychology and Global Public Health at Steinhardt. She has worked with infants in a variety of research roles, one being a research assistant at the Center for Research on Culture, Education and Development lab (CRCDE). She is extremely interested in the roles language and culture plays in childhood development. She is very excited to learn more about early childhood development and gain research experience at the ISLAND lab.

Joy is a junior pursuing her B.S. in Applied Psychology in Steinhardt. She has previously worked with children in a clinical setting at Boston Children's Hospital, and as a teacher in math and academic settings. She is interested in gaining a better understanding of environmental factors on young children and is excited to be a part of ISLAND lab to learn more about this and expand her research skills

Akshar approaches his senior year as a student of Applied Psychology and Neural Science at New York University. Bilingual himself, Akshar finds personal commitment to explore the neural correlates of bilingualism, and by extension, the developmental trajectories of children nurtured in various home language environments.
Akshar values community partnerships and has previously dedicated his skills and knowledge to support various NYC public schools and youth organizations as a peer health educator, after school tutor, and youth mentor. Additionally, he attends to pediatric ED patients as a volunteer at New-York Presbyterian Hospital. He aspires to continue his support of children, their families, and educational healthcare initiatives as a pediatric surgeon.

Epifania is a second year graduate student pursuing a MSED in Mental Health Counseling at Hunter College. She is interested in the effects of early childhood interactions between caregivers and children especially the neuro psychobiological effects of attachment parenting. Epifania is excited about learning more in the ISLAND lab especially regarding the effects of COVID-19 on parents and children. In the future she hopes to become a developmental psychologist, therapist, parent educator, in addition to becoming a certified cognitive-behavioral and play-based therapist.

Caitlin is a high school student who attends Mamaroneck High School in Westchester. Her role in the lab was to help aid in small tasks, as well as experimental procedures. She is interested in child language development, specifically how parent child interactions impact language development. By working and assisting in the ISLAND Lab she hoped to expand her knowledge on both research procedures and language development.

Makenzie is a first year Master’s student in the Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness program at NYU. She recently graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science and Psychology. In addition to being a Research Assistant in the ISLAND Lab, Makenzie is a Graduate Assistant for the Office of the Associate Dean for Students at NYU’s College of Arts of Sciences.

Makenzie finds great value in community service and advocacy work. For years, she has been highly involved with The Family Resource Network of New Jersey - an organization devoted to supporting individuals and their families who are living with epilepsy, autism, intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities, and chronic illnesses. Further, Makenzie was a Behavior Assistant in a contained classroom with four students on the autism spectrum. With this being her first experience in a research lab, Makenzie is very excited for the opportunity and looks forward to understanding how stress in a child’s early home environment impacts their cognitive development.

Ariel will be a senior at Wake Forest University where she is majoring in Psychology with Biology and Environmental Studies minors. At Wake Forest, Ariel works in a psychology lab researching the formation of help-seeking behaviors in children of different backgrounds. She enjoys working with infants and young children through coaching and volunteer programs. Ariel is hoping to pursue a career in child clinical psychology. She is interested in learning more about infant neurocognitive development and excited to gain research experience at the ISLAND lab.

Karina graduated in 2014 with a BA in Psychology from Drew University. Following undergraduate studies she joined Teach For America and taught high school science in rural Arkansas. Her experience inspired questions about the impact of stressful environments on the development of self-regulation. She is very excited to work in the ISLAND Lab where she hopes to sharpen her data analysis skills and learn of ways to empower parents to support their infants.

Fernanda is a second-year Master’s student in the Neuroscience and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She graduated from the University of Chile with a B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology. She is very passionate about children’s brain development in the first years of life. Her research interests include cognition, speech, and language in children. Besides being a Research Assistant in the ISLAND Lab, she is also a Teaching Assistant for the Cognitive Neuroscience Course at Teachers College.

Sarah will be a sophomore at Colgate University this Fall with an intended double major in Psychology and Educational Studies. In her psychology classes at Colgate, Sarah developed a passion for understanding both how one’s environment impacts their behavior and how one’s behavior influences the environment that they interact with. Sarah spends most of her extracurricular time working with children in volunteer-based clubs. She continues to pursue this work with children in the field of psychology by immersing herself in developmental psychology.

Leslie just graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in theatre. During her senior year, Leslie worked in a psycholinguistics lab where she helped collect, process, and present eye-tracking data. She also has experience working with children on the autism spectrum and recently interned at Blue Sky Autism, a charity in London providing early intervention services to children on the autism spectrum and/or experiencing developmental delays. She is excited to be a part of the ISLAND Lab and to learn more about child developmental research.

Olivia is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology with a minor in American Sign Language at NYU Steinhardt. Having previously worked in The Neuroscience and Education Lab at NYU, Olivia is excited to join the ISLAND Lab to continue learning about different factors that contribute to early childhood development and gain more research.

Liana holds a BS in Neuroscience with a focus in Psychology from Muhlenberg College. With a keen interest in infant development and language acquisition, she is excited to join the ISLAND lab to enhance her skills in all aspects of clinical research protocols and to learn how parents can better support their babies. She is currently pursuing a career as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. Together with her work within the March of Dimes, Liana hopes to bridge the disciplines of clinical research and neonatology & maternal-child health in order to promote optimal healing and cognitive development of infants at risk.

Anna graduated from Calvin College in 2016 with a B.A. in Spanish and History. She then spent a year as an Administrator/ English Language Teacher at the Literacy Center of West Michigan as an AmeriCorps volunteer, where she connected with Spanish-speakers and expanded her knowledge of non-profit administration and data management. She received her M.A. in the Media, Culture, and Communication program at NYU: her research interests include critical race and gender studies.

Clarice is a Master's student at New York University (NYU), studying Educational Leadership, Politics, and Advocacy. She graduated from Texas Woman's University in 2012. Upon graduating, she joined Teach for America and taught Pre-Kindergarten in Helena, Arkansas. Prior to becoming a student at NYU, Clarice taught as an English Language Assistant through the Council of International Educational Exchange (CIEE) program in Madrid, Spain. Clarice's experiences as an educator have cultivated her commitment and passion to advocate for high quality child development, education and public health as means of social justice. She is excited to be apart of the research assistant team in the ISLAND Lab where she hopes to expand her knowledge and research experience in the field of child development and language acquisition.

Jessica graduated in 2017 from Syracuse University with a B.A. in psychology where she was involved in cognitive neuroscience research at the Center for Autism Research and Electrophysiology. Jessica is currently a master's student at NYU in the Human Development and Social Intervention program specializing in research methodology. Her research focuses on factors in the early life environment that influence the trajectory of neurocognitive development and impact later academic achievement. She is dedicated to using scientific research to better understand how to serve disadvantaged populations and advocate for social change. She is excited to be at the ISLAND Lab because of the diverse educational backgrounds and experiences of our research team. There is always something new she learns- whether it is knowledge, a skill, or a perspective.

Julia is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Prior to working with ISLAND lab she worked with Latino Family Engagement and Language Development (L-FELD). After taking a class on Behavioral Neuroscience, she realized that she was very interested in learning about how brain chemistry effects behavior and vice versa. The neurocognitive aspect of research is what interests her in ISLAND. Julia is very excited to research and expand her knowledge with the lab.

Judith Konamah is a Senior pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Baruch College with a major in Psychology and a minor in Communications. She previously worked as a research assistant in the Baruch Dynamic Learning Lab where she helped conduct research on memory and social influences. She also volunteered at Elmhurst hospital where she worked with children with different mental disorders and developmental challenges. She is interested in learning about how one's environment and the behaviors of others influence emotional development. She joined the ISLAND lab to further pursue and learn new things about her research interests.

Stefani is a junior at NYU Steinhardt pursuing as B.S in Nutrition & Dietetics and Global Public Health. She has previously done research regarding the effect of milk pasteurization towards infants' glucose levels. Findings of this research has made her interested to understand how early life styles, both consumption habits and social influences, can affect infants future behavior. She joined ISLAND Lab to continue improving her research skill and learning more about neuropsychology.

Emelie is a junior at Macalester College pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in community and global health. Prior to working at the ISLAND lab, Emelie became interested in public health, specifically maternal and child health, through her coursework as an undergraduate. As a research assistant at the ISLAND lab, Emelie is excited to understand how family systems as well socioeconomic status have the ability to influence early neurocognitive development.

Rahil is a senior at Columbia University pursuing a B.A. in Psychology. He previously worked as a research assistant at the Columbia Social and Moral Cognition Lab, where he helped conduct research on the development of morality in children, specifically regarding social perceptions of individuals implicated in the criminal justice system. At the ISLAND lab, he is interested in research regarding the influence of socioeconomic status and other cultural factors on early neurocognitive development. After graduation, Rahil hopes to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

Pedro completed his B.A. in Psychology from Lehman College, and was involved in other leadership positions including an internship with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (BOLD) program. Pedro wanted to gain research and clinical experience with children, as he works to continue his graduate studies in developmental psychology. He is particularly interested in learning more about the impact brain development has on children’s behavior. He hoped that by becoming a research assistant with the ISLAND lab, he would learn more about the roles of a researcher and learn more about infants' neurocognitive development.

Sandra is currently pursuing a B.A. in Psychology at NYU College of Arts and Science along with two minors, Chemistry and Studio Art. As a student on the Pre-Health Track, she aims to become an OB/GYN in the future. As a Research Assistant, she hopes to learn and understand better how language and family structure develops and becomes evident in Early Childhood Development, as well as enhance her research skills.