Lab Members

Nick received his B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. While at CSULA, he was involved in research focusing on learning and cognition, and personality traits and anxiety. Over the last year, he has been volunteering as a Research Assistant at The Health and Human Performance Foundation, a non-profit that studies breath practices for physiological and psychological outcomes. He is very excited to be a part of the REACH lab team and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Health Psychology. Nick has also been a music educator for the last 12 years for various performing arts groups in Northern and Southern California.

Amada graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a B.A. in Psychological science. During her time at UCI, Amada was in the HEART club, where she had the opportunity to tutor and mentor young children at risk of gang induction. Also, Amada has been working as Research Assistant in THRIVE lab in which she is part of attachment-based intervention studies serving the Latino community. Amada is currently a post-baccalaureate student excited to expand her research experience as a Research Assistant in Dr. Garfin’s lab. Her research interests include attachment, trauma, and interventions for underrepresented minorities. Amada will be starting her MSW at UCLA in Fall 2022.

Daisy is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCI. She is a transfer student majoring in Psychological Science. Daisy’s research interests include sexual trauma, PTSD, depression, and culture. She is interested in researching how different cultures cope with mental health problems. She is currently researching whether bicultural identity integration is related to depressive symptoms and maladaptive eating behaviors in the Social Ecology Honors Program. Her long-term goals are to become a clinical psychologist working at a research institute with a private practice

Amber Wong

Amber is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Public Health Policy and Psychological Sciences. After receiving her Bachelor’s, she plans to go to nursing school. Her long-term goal is to become a public health nurse to help combat healthcare disparities through research, advocacy, education, and policy. Amber’s research interests include community health, mental health, and childhood development and she is passionate about helping the unhoused population and marginalized communities. She currently volunteers at Kaiser Permanente and helps out with both interacting with patients and with Administration. Amber is excited to be a part of the REACH lab to help make a difference and learn more about research, mindfulness-based preventions, trauma, and resilience.

Jessica (she/they) is a second-year undergraduate at UCI hoping to become a future nurse. Jessica is interested in community health, childhood trauma, mental health, and human sexuality. She wants to work alongside her community to fix health care disparities and to offer resources to marginalized groups. Outside of school, Jessica enjoys figure skating, dancing, and taking care of her two cats. Jessica is thankful and excited to be part of the REACH lab as it is an opportunity to bridge the gap between healthcare and the social determinants of health in minority groups through therapeutic methods.

Liz earned her bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her subsequent career has spanned a variety of industries including public education, nonprofit, and tech. Liz is currently enrolled in the UCI Psychological Science Post-Bacc program where she hopes to narrow her research interests which have been informed by her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. When she’s not in class or in the lab, Liz spends time with her partner and dog on the beach.

Jay graduated with a B.S. in Communication from Boston University in 2004 and earned an M.S. in Mass Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. He spent the first 15 years of his career working as an advertising art director. After discovering meditation and experiencing profound personal growth, he decided to change paths and pursue a career as a clinical psychologist. His current research interests include PTSD prevention and treatment and the relationship between restrictive religions and trauma.

Branislav received his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and M.S. from Columbia University. After working for 5 years at Apple, Branislav decided to spend 3 years traveling and exploring his other passions. This resulted in starting the UCI Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychological Science and focusing on gaining relevant experience for future endeavors in the Psychology field. In his free time, Branislav likes to go to concerts/music events, play volleyball, meditate, and salsa dance. He is very excited to learn more about trauma, resilience, and community-based interventions while on the REACH Lab team.

Gavin received his B.S. in Political Science from the University of Idaho. He is now enrolled as a post-baccalaureate student at the University of California, Irvine with the goal of eventually pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. He is excited to be working with the REACH Lab to gain research experience and learn more about the roles mindfulness and community intervention can play in addressing mental health concerns.

Michelle received her B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach, and is currently in the UCI Post-Baccalaureate Program. Throughout her time in undergrad, Michelle was involved in research in Wax Lab, looking at how Benevolent Sexism impacts women in the workplace as well as work on a meta-analysis of Benevolent Sexism. Michelle’s current research interests include working from a social justice framework to explore novel treatments, ways to improve mental health resources and increase access to underserved and minority communities. Outside of academia, Michelle has been involved in the arts, yoga, dance, and community service projects, which has spiked her interest in alternative therapy techniques that include mindfulness, exercise, art, and other expressive activities. Michelle has been learning and using American Sign Language for 8 years, which has had a profound impact on how she views the world around her, making improvements to accessibility and equality central components of her career and research goals.  In her free time, Michelle loves to garden, take care/play with her many pets, go to concerts (pre-COVID), and run her bakery that she opened this summer.

Sidra is currently a third-year undergraduate student working towards her B.S. in Public Health Sciences at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Prior to working as a research assistant at the REACH Lab, Sidra was part of the VOICE research project at UCI, which aimed at documenting how the Asian American and Pacific Islander community was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Orange County. Sidra enjoys working with her community and has done so for the past several years through her work as an intern at CALPIRG and St. Jude Medical Center, a volunteer at the Islamic Center of Yorba Linda, and as President of the Pakistani Student Association at UCI. In her free time, Sidra likes to watch TV, drink lots of coffee, and spend time with her two younger sisters and her cat, Destiny.

My name is Alexandra Amador, but most people call me Lexi. I am a current student in the Harvard Post Bac Program (Pre-Med). I have been working with Dr. Garfin since 2019, first as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, on her mindfulness study since the beginning. Most of what I have helped with is the Community Advisory Board and the focus groups, which required me to visit each site and talk with the participants in each group. I will be assisting her when conducting the actual trial in the near future. I am planning on submitting to UROP in hopes to broaden my research and knowledge on this subject.

I am a current Post Bac student at Cal State Fullerton and completed my degree in Psychological Science in 2020: I have been working with Dr. Garfin since 2019. I’ve always been interested in researching different aspects of Mindfulness and how it relates to things such as emotion and physiological response, especially in marginalized communities. When not in lab, I love to run and go on hikes!

My name is Danielle Groper and I am currently a 2nd-year who is double majoring in Psychological Science and International Studies at UCI. I hope that once I graduate, I would then proceed to attend graduate school and obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. After obtaining my degree, I plan to mainly do research. I am currently interested in PTSD and how and why different cultures differ in some symptoms of this disorder.

Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from California State University – San Bernardino, where she graduated with Cum Laude. She then went on to complete the UCI Psychological Science Post-Bacc program. Jessica is a current student at UCI’s Master’s Entry into the Profession of Nursing (MEPN) program (the M.S. in Nursing Science – Community & Population Health concentration), where she will be graduating in 2022!

Maniyah S. Goodwine is a recent graduate of Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey. She obtained a B.A. in Psychology and Africana Studies and is in the current cohort of UCI’s Post-Baccalaureate Program. She served as the Vice President of the NAACP chapter at Rutgers and worked to create an equitable, equal, and diverse environment on campus. She also worked as a research assistant on a study that studied the impact of restorative justice practices on students in New York’s public schools. Maniyah’s research interests include race, trauma, the impact of slavery on Black women today, and ways to improve mental health outcomes in communities of color. Upon the completion of the post-bacc program, she aspires to apply to Clinical Psychology doctoral programs to start a career dedicated to research and service.

Hi my name is Elaine and I have a B.S. in Architectural Engineering and in incoming student in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. I’m originally from Syria and during the war in my country I volunteered with the Jesuit Refugee service and was trained to help internally displaced kids, adolescents and women affected by violence through psychosocial support. I conducted group therapy, art & play therapy and co-created aid programs to help the living situation for the refugees. Trying to cope myself with a continuously worsening war situation opened my eyes to the importance of psychological science and community based interventions in easing suffering occurring due to war or natural catastrophes. I will be completing the Post-bacc Program in Psychological Science in Spring 2022. I’m interested in biological psychology, Child’s psychological development in war situations, PTSD intervention & prevention, and the effects of built environment on humans’ psychology.

Betsy is currently an undergraduate student at the University of California, Irvine. She is working on obtaining her B.A in Psychological Sciences. Her research interests include trauma, PTSD, attachment styles, and human sexuality. Betsy has worked in a mental health residential treatment center  and volunteered for MHA – Project Together, where mentoring services are provided for children, youth and families that are receiving mental health treatment through the County of Orange Health Care Agency, Children & Youth Services. Betsy’s goal is to become a Clinical Psychologist with an emphasis in human sexuality. She aspires to teach, practice, and research abroad after earning her PhD in Clinical Psychology. Betsy is very excited to be a part of the REACH lab team!

Christiana (she/her) is currently an undergraduate student at the University of California, Irvine working on obtaining her B.A. in Psychological Sciences. She is passionate about working with underrepresented, marginalized communities, and in intentional evidence-based solutions that reflect the lived experiences of those communities. Christiana has been a part of UCI’s year-long Advanced Field Study Program, and is now working with nonprofit, Girls Inc. of OC, in providing program implementation and facilitation for youth, especially in spheres of mental health and advocacy. She is excited to deepen her understanding of trauma, resilience, and community-based interventions while on the REACH Lab team!

Karla is a current undergraduate at UC Irvine, dual majoring in Psychological Science and Criminology, Law & Society. After her bachelor’s, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on forensics. Karla’s research interests include psychopathology, childhood trauma, resiliency, parent-adolescent relationships, and juvenile justice. She’s particularly interested in exploring the pathway from childhood maltreatment to juvenile delinquency. Karla is thrilled to be part of the REACH Lab as she has the opportunity to expand her knowledge of how people respond and adapt to adversity. Karla was accepted and will be enrolling at a PhD student in Clinical Psychology in Fall 2022 at the University of Texas Rio Grade!!!

I’m a fourth year Public Health Sciences student at UCI interested in dentistry, community health, and epidemiology. Research is interesting to me as I find that it helps connect the bridges between my education in the classroom setting, my personal life, and the world around me. In my free time, I enjoy practicing various mindfulness activities, reading a good book, and exploring new coffee shops!