Members
EXECUTIVE BOARD 2019-2020
VANESSA HILO
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Vanessa is a third-year Psychology major from Redlands, California. She works as a Research Assistant, and this year she is excited to embark on her independent research project. After graduating from UCLA, Vanessa intends on pursuing a Juris Doctor in Immigration Law – a career choice shaped by her journey as a first-generation, Arab-American college student. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys cooking, kayaking, and participating in spoken word poetry open-mic nights.
VIVIAN NGUYEN
ASSOCIATE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Vivian Nguyen is a third year Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major with hopes of minoring in English. She is interested in mental health awareness and is the Secretary for the UCLA Chapter of Morning Sign Out, a student-run organization focused on improving health literacy in the greater Los Angeles population through publishing accessible articles on science and healthcare. In her free time, she enjoys practicing judo, playing violin, and drawing.
ELIZABETH ALM
STAFF DIRECTOR
Elizabeth is a fourth year Psychology Major with an Applied Developmental Minor. She is a research assistant for a project studying and developing education and childcare practices for children with ASD. Elizabeth also researches infant/toddler childcare in an early childhood education classroom. Elizabeth plans on continuing her education in Developmental Psychology, hoping to continue her research and its application in the field of Education.
MAGGIE PICKFORD
DIRECTOR OF SUBMISSIONS & WORKSHOPS
Maggie Pickford is a third-year Psychobiology major from Gilroy, California. In addition to being a member of URJP, she is also the Vice President of Chapter Relations and Standards for Alpha Chi Omega. She is interested in going into patent law in the future (but who really knows, she changes her mind every other week). She loves traveling and having the opportunity to learn about differences in cultures and peoples. In her free time, she enjoys catching up on shows, spending time with friends and family, and eating anything with garlic or cheese.
OUR TEAM
ABHERI SETLUR
EDITOR
Abheri is a first year Psychobiology major from San Ramon, California. She currently volunteers at Ronald Regan Medical Center, works as a marketing coordinator for the Alumni Scholars Club, and plays club lacrosse. She loves interacting with and listening to people and hopes to attend medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry. In her free time, she loves to experiment with photography, hike, and try new bowl recipes.
AH YEON KWON
EDITOR
Ah Yeon is a second year Psychology major from Fullerton, California. She is a mentor for Bruin Partners, as well as a research assistant in the UCLA Baby Lab. After graduation, she is planning to pursue a PhD in developmental psychology. Her passions include reading, knitting, and discussing Star Wars.
ALEXIA PELLETIER
EDITOR
Alexia is a third year Psychology major and Spanish minor from Santa Clarita, CA. In addition to being an editor for URJP, she is also a writer for the Bruin Review. She is currently a research assistant in two psychology labs, one studying decision making, the other studying learning and behavior in animals. After graduation, Alexia hopes to get her PhD and someday become a forensic psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys working out, hanging out with family and friends, and walking dogs.
ANGELICA FREGOSO
EDITOR
Coming soon…
ASHLEY CHEN
EDITOR
Ashley is a first-year Psychology major from Milpitas, California. She is interested in clinical psychology and plans to attend graduate school after graduation. Besides psychology, Ashley also has an interest in statistics. In her free time, she likes to travel to new places.
CHERICE CHAN
SUBMISSIONS & WORKSHOPS
Cherice is a first-year psychology major from Toledo, Ohio. Outside of being part of the submissions team, she is a community representative for Hedrick Hall. She has worked for a summer program for autistic children for five years. She is looking forward to getting involved in research in the future, and is especially interested in social psychology and developmental disorders. In the future, she wants to get her PhD and hopefully work in academia. When she’s not studying, she loves hanging out with friends, eating, traveling, and exploring LA.
ERICA LI
EDITOR
Erica Li is a second-year from Seattle, Washington double majoring in neuroscience and computational & systems biology. She is a research assistant at the UCLA Laboratory for Clinical and Affective Psychophysiology as well as at the Fuster Lab for Cognitive Neuroscience. She is interested in neurotechnology and cognitive neuroscience and hopes to work in the neurotechnology industry in the future. In her free time she likes to drink a lot of coffee and binge-watch TV shows.
GRACE SONG
MARKETING
HANNAH GUO
EDITOR
ICY (YUNYI) ZHANG
EDITOR
ISABELLA RICHARDS
SUBMISSIONS & WORKSHOPS
Isabella is a first-year psychology major from the Bay Area, who is interested in pursuing Industrial-Organizational Psychology. She hopes to get involved with a research lab studying social relations between diverse individuals. Besides being involved with the URJP, Isabella enjoys spending her time at the University Catholic Center and practicing dances for Samahang Pilipino Cultural Night.
JACOB RICH
EDITOR
JANET LI
EDITOR
Coming soon…
JESSICA HELFOND
MARKETING
JOYCE KUO
EDITOR

KALYSA TO
EDITOR
KELLY ZHOU
MARKETING
Coming soon…
KYLE XU
EDITOR & MARKETING
Coming soon…
LAURA HARTLEY
EDITOR
Coming soon…
LEYLA BOYAR
EDITOR
Leyla Boyar is a first year Psychology major from Dana Point, California. Leyla loves animals, and she rides and competes on the UCLA Club Equestrian team. In her free time, she loves to read novels, go exploring with friends, and volunteer at a therapeutic riding center for disabled children. In the future, Leyla aspires to get involved with research in the field of mental illness, and she hopes to one day become a practicing clinical therapist.
LIYANG (JULIA) ZHOU
EDITOR
MARGAUX STANITSAS
EDITOR
Margaux is a junior Psychology major from Long Beach, California. She is interested in psychometrics and quantitative psychology, neuropsychology, and developmental psychology. She plans on pursuing a career in research and teaching. Outside of academics, she enjoys cooking, reading her favorite novels over and over again, and going on weekend road trips.
MCKENNA RODI
SUBMISSIONS & WORKSHOPS
McKenna Rodi is a second year Psychology major with a Specialization in Computing from San Diego, CA. In addition to being a member of the submissions team, she is an intern for the Student Wellness Committee and the Logistics Chair for Active Mind’s workshops committee. In the future, she hopes to get her PhD in Clinical Psychology and wants to pursue a career as a Forensic Psychologist for a corrections facility. In her free time, she enjoys musicals, photography, and trying new cafés.
MICHELLE WANG
EDITOR & SUBMISSIONS/WORKSHOPS
Michelle Wang is a second year Psychobiology major from Folsom, California. She is a research assistant at two USC labs—the Language Development Lab and the Huey Lab. In the future, she plans to pursue a career as a psychiatrist. In her free time, she enjoys sleeping, watching movies, and petting any cats she comes across.
NICOLETTE KHALIFIAN
EDITOR
Nicolette Khalifian is a sophomore at UCLA, studying psychobiology with a minor in professional writing. Her interests range from the sciences, particularly the field of cognition and memory, to creative writing and its applications. She is the author of Control Mindset, her first published work, with New Degree Press. Her work focuses on the key elements to living a life of intention, peace and freedom. Nicolette is a feature writer for the Her Campus at UCLA’s Women’s Magazine and editor for the UCLA Undergraduate Research Journal of Psychology.
POORVI DINESH
EDITOR
Poorvi is a second year Psychology major from Tampa, FL. She is studying to go into psychiatry with an emphasis on psychotherapy. Poorvi is interested in pursuing research in clinical and music psychology. Besides the URJP, Poorvi is a part of HOSA, AMSA, and the Bruin Film Society. In her free time, Poorvi enjoys making music, listening to music, watching movies (preferably in French), acting, and participating in debate.
SHEILA ZHANG
EDITOR
Coming soon…
STEPHANIE RIVAS-LARA
EDITOR
Stephanie Rivas is a second year Psychology major from Los Angeles, California and in hopes of also minoring in Spanish. She is a volunteer for UCLA’s Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE) Program which focuses on eradicating sexual and gender-based violence through education, advocacy, and healing. Apart from spending her free time with friends and family, Stephanie also enjoys reading books and has a particular soft spot for reading memoirs. You can also catch her re-watching the same YouTube videos late at night as she contemplates her career choices.
TALIA LEANO
EDITOR

XIMMY WANG
EDITOR
ZHUOER (CHRIS) LYU
SUBMISSIONS & WORSKSHOPS
Zhuoer Lyu (Chris) is a first year Cognitive Science major from China. He is interested in Social Psycholgy, Industrial Psychology as well as Cognitive Psychology. In his free time, Chris enjoys playing basketball and chess.