Meet the Alumni
Michelle Cherner
Michelle earned her bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in sociology from CSUN. She then worked in the e-commerce field. At the age of 26, she was diagnosed as having an autism spectrum disorder and this opened her eyes to a field she had never considered: special education. In 2018, she was accepted into CSUN's special education master's degree program and has been attending as a part-time student. She currently works as a special education assistant in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She will be graduating with her master's in May 2022 and finishing her education specialist credential in fall 2022.
Ayana Riley
Ayana Riley obtained her BA in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Africana Studies in the Spring of 2021. She has experience with tutoring 6th-12th grade in English, Mathematics, and Social Sciences. Ayana is from the inner city of Southeast San Diego where she is a first-generation college student. Her 8th grade A.V.I.D teacher was the first to mention furthering her education and from that moment on it became a goal of hers. Her own K-12 experiences have inspired her to want to give back to her community through mentorship. She would like to get her Masters in School Counseling and push more students of color into higher education. In the future, she would like to be a Counselor inside of a Juvenile Detention Center.
Alexandra Keghinian
Alexandra Keghinian, also known as Alex, graduated with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Psychology in Spring 2020. She has experience tutoring K-12th grade students in Mathematics, English, and Armenian. Tutoring has made her fall in love with child development and education. She plans on applying to graduate school to turn her dreams of becoming a university professor a reality. She would also like to open a tutoring center to continue working with children and adolescents. Alex hopes to foster change in the education system and truly inspire students to continue with higher education. In the future, she wants to implement the importance of individualized learning and cultural awareness in our education system, through her role as an educator.
Lizbeth Avalos
Lizeth Avalos recently graduated in the Spring of 2017 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Child & Adolescent Development from California State University, Northridge. She plans on applying to graduate school with the hopes of getting her master's degree in School Psychology. This summer, Lizeth will be helping Dr. Huynh with her new book project. She will be coding a series of children's books based on it's content on race, ethnicity, and racism.
Shawheen Alavi-Moghaddam
Shawheen is pursuing a Bachelor's of Arts in Biology from Cal State Northridge. His goal is to become a D.O. physician. He has also worked in Dr. Malone's research lab, studying the genetics of lymphoma. Shawheen is interested in the the connections between psychology and health, and values the opportunity to be part of Dr. Huynh's research team. Shawheen hopes to one day own his own health clinic, promoting overall well-being, while also helping to further medical research.Title. Double click me.
Jesse Bozo
Jesse graduated from CSU Northridge in Spring 2015 with a B.A. in both Psychology and Honors in Philosophy. He is currently working on stereotype and discrimination research and intends to apply to graduate school for Fall 2016. He is also interested in philosophy of science issues such as how we distinguish science from pseudoscience (i.e., demarcation problem).
Judith Cramer
Judith, an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology, has completed her AA degree from Moorpark College and is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree at California State University, Northridge. Judith plans to graduate in Spring of 2016. Currently she volunteers with children with special needs and learning disabilities. In the future she plans on attending graduate school to obtain a Master's Degree in Behavioral and Clinical Psychology and pursue a career as a Behavioral Therapist.
Oliva Feitshans
As recent graduate from CSUN, with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development, Oliva will be attending the University of Oregon in the fall to complete a post-baccalaureate program. In Oregon, she plans to spend her time dedicated to her coursework, as well as volunteering at local speech thearpy clinics where she hopes to gain both valuable insight and hands-on experience within this field. The following year she plans to attend a graduate program in Speech and Language Pathology. Her experiences with children and the deaf community fuel her passion language and atypical language development. It is her goal to have a career working with deaf and hard of hearing children, while also using the American Sign Language skills she has acquired throughout her studies.
Alexis Gavilanes
Melanie Grzyb
Melanie is currently working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at California State University, Northridge. She plans to graduate in Spring of 2016. Melanie has enjoyed volunteering her time at a local animal shelter as well as with the crisis helpline center in her hometown and hopes to continue doing so. She hopes to enter a graduate program in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in child mental health, eventually opening up her own practice.
Lindsay Gussin
After graduating from CSUN with her BA in Child and Adolescent Development, Lindsay is now pursuing a Master's degree in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania in the School of Social Policy and Practice. She hopes to help low socioeconomic status children who are at risk of being removed from their homes and placed in foster care. After volunteering in a Costa Rican orphanage, she was inspired to become a Child Advocate for minority youth in the foster care system. Knowing that she wanted to attend Law School, Lindsay began volunteering at Neighborhood Legal Service, where she assists litigants in taking the necessary steps so they can effetely represent themselves in court. She also plans to participate in a month long international volunteer opportunity to Guatemala this winter, where she will be helping children from low income families who have been exposed to domestic violence and alcoholism.
Nathan Hadar
Nathan is currently in CSUN's Accelerated Bachelor of Science, Nursing Program. He will be graduating in December and hopes to be working in an Emergency Department at a level one trauma center. He has a previous bachelors in Criminal Justice which he received at CSU Long Beach. Currently, Nathan works as a Lifeguard for the State of California in Northern Malibu, and he has done so for the past 11 years. Some his hobbies include sailing, backpacking, rock climbing and mountaineering.
Asya Harrison
Asya graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in Child and Adolescent Development in Spring of 2014. With her experience teaching and tutoring statistics, she is familiar with student self-regulatory learning difficulties. She will continue her academic career by acquiring a doctorate in Educational Psychology. Her goal is to teach a university level course informing future educators of the impact of cultural experience, teaching technique, and student perceived cognitive ability on academic achievement.
Matthew Kaplan
Matt attended California State University, Northridge for both his B.A. and M.A. programs in English. He subsequently moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota to pursue a doctoral degree in Rhetoric and Communication. Following a brief stint as a professor of English at a regional university in Texas, Matt decided to change careers and pursue a Master’s of Social Work at his alma mater, CSUN. Throughout his academic career, Matt has been awarded four scholarships, one fellowship, and he is a recipient of a University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment grant. He hopes to integrate information gleaned from working with Dr. Huynh’s team into future research in the field of social work.
Adrienne Keoppel
Adrienne's graduated with a BS in Clinical Psychology and her goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in parenting and development. She hopes to work with adolescents, young transitioning adults, and parents. Her research opportunities have prepared her to conduct research on communication between adolescents, young adults, and their parents; with the pressures of the economy and other factors. These experiences have benefited Adrienne not only in research, but also in fine tuning her excellent communication skills, attention to detail, administration, and leadership qualities. Growing up amongst much family stress and chaos has also inspired and push her forward for something greater.
Sophia Lee
Since graduating from CSUN with a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development, Sophia's academic goals have steered directions towards Women's Studies and Psychology. She would like to study the issues women and children face, working towards empowerment and equality. She has been admitted and will be attending a Master’s program in Women's Studies this coming fall. Her future goals are to attend a doctoral program, teach at a university level to educate future minds about gender and women's issues, and create an intervention program for youths that targets bullying issues which may stem from body image, self-esteem, and sexual expectations. She has volunteered as an advocate for rape and domestic violence survivors, then proceeded to work as Sexual Assault Case Manager. Additionally, she was part of five different research labs and would like to incorporate these experiences into her academics and future goals.
Roxana Lesso
Roxana is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at California State University, Northridge. She will be graduating in the spring semester of 2018 and hopes to pursue a PhD program in forensic psychology. She is currently a BUILD-PODER Scholar which is a program that promotes opportunities for diversity in education and research. She will be working alongside her mentor Dr. Virginia Huynh in order to expand her knowledge with microaggressions and how they affect minority adolescents.
Michelle Revels-Macalino
Michelle is a second year graduate student in the General Experimental Psychology master’s program; she also works for CSUN Center for Assessment, Research and Evaluation. Her master’s thesis examines racial and LGBT microaggressions using an intersectional approach. After CSUN, she hopes to work at a research organization.
Nicoll Mischel
As a graduate from CSUN in the fall of 2013, Nicoll spends the next spring and summer months of 2014 traveling to Europe. In the fall of 2014 she will attend graduate school but is awaiting decisions regarding her applications. Because of her experience with intervention programs like Jumpstart and the Peer Mentor Program, she wants to further understand risk and resilience factors that affect educational motivation in challenged communities. Her long-term goals after graduate school encompass designing empirically sound intervention programs. One day, these programs will impact practitioners and communities by providing a significant early start on education. She is hopeful that an early positive influence will affect a child’s academic trajectory.
Chiemelie Onyekonwu
Chiemelie Onyekonwu is an undergraduate student at California State University, Northridge pursuing a B.A. in Biology. Chiemelie plans on graduating spring 2018 and hopes to go on to receive her M.D. and become a Dermatologist. Currently, Chiemelie is conducting research as a BUILD-PODER Scholar with her mentors Dr. Huynh and Dr. Stein on Ethnic-Racial Socialization and its relationship with stress in minority students.
Catherine Placencia
Upon graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development, she will entered a master's program for College Counseling and Student Services at CSUN. Her involvement at Cal State Northridge including being Founder and President of money-saving club, Smart Spenders, President of Tau Sigma National Honor Society for Students, and serving as a University Ambassador has inspired her to pursue a career working with college students. Other than being a research assistant for Dr. Huynh, Cat is involved in the Child and Adolescent Department as a peer advisor and peer mentor for a class in the major.
Rotem Sherf
Melissa Spain
Melissa is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, with an emphasis on Child Development. She is currently working as a Behavioral Therapist, conducting in home therapy for children with Autism and other spectrum disorders. Upon graduation in Spring 2015, she will be applying for her Master’s Degree in Behavioral and Clinical Psychology at CSUN, to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to obtain her BCBA and continue her career working with autistic children. Melissa hopes to apply her studies to her research with Dr. Huynh and use the skills she acquires throughout her career.
Josh Stepakoff
Josh is working towards a degree in Psychology with a minor is Family Studies. He will be graduating in Fall of 2015 and then continue on to graduate school. Josh hopes to eventually be a licensed therapists. His practice will focus on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other Trauma related conditions.
Omar Ullah
Omar is a thrill-seeking senior at CSUN studying Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH). He is looking forward to pursuing an exciting career of service as a primary care doctor and research scientist. Omar seeks to provide medical care to those from his rural hometown who are uninsured and from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as perform translational research that explores and ultimately provides policy-based solutions for the enormous health disparities witnessed among minority communities. Through Dr. Huynh's lab, Omar hopes to obtain a deeper understanding of the social mechanisms by which ethnic-racial health disparities manifest over time.
Daniella Yerumyan
Daniella is currently working towards her Bachelor's degree in Psychology at California State University, Northridge. She plans to complete her degree in the Spring of 2016. She has worked with the Blues Project in raising awareness about the growing issue of depression and suicide. She plans on attending graduate school hoping to obtain her Master's degree and Ph D. in a research-oriented field relating to psychology. She wants to study the role of memory and its relation to the behavior of individuals in society.