Members
EXECUTIVE BOARD 2021-2022
STEPHANIE RIVAS-LARA & TALIA LEANO
Editors-in-Chief
Stephanie (she/her) is a fourth year Psychology major with a minor in Spanish. Apart from being one of the Editors-in-Chief for URJP, she’s also a Research Assistant for the Language and Cognitive Development Lab at UCLA and Social Media Coordinator/Research Intern for The Center for Scholars and Storytellers, which aims to bridge the gap between research and media creation. She hopes to one day earn a Masters of Social Work and work with children/youth to ensure their well-being. Fun Fact: She enjoys watching and listening to musicals!
Talia (they/she) is a third year with a major in psychobiology and a minor in LGBTQ studies. Outside of URJP they are involved in a research lab about social perception of trans and nonbinary individuals from an evolutionary perspective. They are also co-director for the Health, Nutrition, and Fitness committee as well as a player on the Women’s Rugby team. A fun fact about them is they drew for a 100 days straight over quarantine!
LEYLA BOYAR & MAXFIELD GORMLEY
Associate Editors-in-Chief
My name is Leyla (she/her) and I am a third year Psychology major and Study of Religion minor! Outside of being one of the Associate Editors in Chief for URJP, I am a Co-President of the UCLA Equestrian Team. When I’m not at the barn, I love to read, try new coffee shops, and travel (when possible). A fun fact about me is that I actually have triple citizenship in the United States, Australia, and Turkey!
Maxfield is a third year at UCLA majoring in Psychology and Sociology. Aside from the URJP he is an editor for the Bruin Review and a research assistant for the Social and Affective Neuroscience lab! In his free time he enjoys cooking, drawing, Civilization VI, visiting his hometown in Massachusetts and exploring the nature areas around LA! His post-graduation plans forecast a possible Masters or Doctorate of Psychology degree.
ASHLEY CHEN
Internal Staff Director
Ashley (she/her/hers) is a third year psychology major from the Bay Area. As the lab manager of the Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab, she is interested in applications of cognitive psychology to the field of education. She is currently completing an honors thesis with the Bjorks and collaborating on a project with the Memory and Lifespan Cognition Lab, with plans to apply to graduate school. A fun fact about Ashley is that she went whale watching twice in Alaska.
CHERICE CHAN
External Staff Director
Cherice (she/her) is a third year psychology major and anthropology minor from Toledo, Ohio. Outside of URJP, she is the lab coordinator for the Social Relations Lab at UCLA and is conducting a departmental honors thesis with Dr. Jaana Juvonen. She is currently applying to PhD programs in Social Psychology. When she’s not in class, she loves hammocking, coloring, reading, exploring new food places, and watching TikTok.
IRENE CHANG & JEFFREY YANG
Directors of Submissions and Workshops
I’m Irene Chang (she/her), a second-year Psychobiology major and this year’s Co-Director of Submissions and Workshops. My goal is to become a Pediatrician or Pediatric Physician Assistant in the future. I love working with kids and I have the opportunity to do so through teaching dance in Expressive Movement Initiative (EMI) and as an RA in the Language and Cognitive Development (LCD) lab. I am also the Campaigns Director for Community Health Collective (CHC) and a part of Synthesis Dance Theater! Fun fact is that I play the erhu, which is a Chinese violin, and I am part of the UCLA Music of China Ensemble!
Jeffrey Yang (he/him/his) is a Computational and Systems Biology major and a Sophomore. Outside of URJP, I am conducting research in a neurocomputation lab that builds a theoretical learning model of the brain based on empirical data. I also enjoy basketball (especially at Hitch on campus) and watching sitcoms such as New Girl and Brooklyn 99. After graduation, I hope to live in a new city other than LA. One fun fact about myself is that my favorite hobby is skipping rocks.
FONTANNA YEE
Directors of Marketing and Finance
Fontanna (she/her) is a fourth year Psychology major with minors in Linguistics and Digital Humanities. Outside of URJP, she is currently a designer for LA Hacks and a designer for an UCLA-based education startup. Previously, she was a peer coach for STAND UCLA, an LA for Psych 100A, and a research assistant at a neuropsychology lab. After she graduates, she hopes to combine her interests in mental health, cognitive psychology, and design as a user experience designer at an education or mental health-based institution. In her free time, she enjoys bullet journaling, traveling, cooking, and trying new matcha desserts!
ABHERI SETLUR
Social Chair
Abheri (she/her) is a 3rd year psychobiology major and classics minor from San Ramon, CA. Outside of URJP, she is a content editor for the Bruin Medical Review, volunteers at Ronald Reagan Medical Center, is a research assistant in the Shams Lab, and plays club lacrosse. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school and ultimately pursue a career as an OB/GYN. A fun fact about her is that she speaks 3 languages!
OUR 2021-2022 TEAM
Editors
GIOVANNI ANGUIANO
Gio is a third-year psychology major with plans on building a career in UX Research. His current work involves brand development and marketing. He plans to receive his masters in Human-Computer Interactions following graduation. A fun fact about him is that he’s good at mimicking different accents.
WEI CAI
Wei(she/her) is a first year at UCLA and she is considering double majoring in Psychology and Statistics. Outside URJP, she is also engaged in the UCLA DataFest Committee. A fun fact about her is that she couldn’t keep a pet because of allergy so she can only watch cat and dog videos online to entertain herself. Her favorite dog species is Alaskan malamutes and she would love to explain to people the difference between a malamute and a husky.
LEILA CHABANE
My name is Leila Chabane (she/her/hers), I am a pre-psychology major, third-year in college and first-year transfer student. After graduating from UCLA, I plan on going to graduate school to pursue a degree in clinical psychology or psychological research. I’m passionate about using art as a form of therapy, improving mental health for individuals who get impacted by the (in)justice system, exploring the Queer Muslim experience, and intersectional feminism. My fun fact is that I was born on a couch.
ISABELLA CHOU
Isabella (she/her) is a second year Psychobiology major. In addition to being a URJP editor, she is currently the Academic Development Coordinator for Project HOPE. She hopes to pursue a career in the mental health field and work with children and adolescents in the future. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, watching K-dramas, and spending time with friends and family.
MATTHEW FIGUEROA
Matt (he/him) is a 3rd year, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biomedical Research. Outside of URJP, he is a coach in the STAND program at UCLA, which offers free mental health coaching and resources to communities who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. After graduation, he plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology to research chronic stress and coping. In his free time, Matt enjoys watching reality TV and listening to music.
ARDEN GUO
Arden’s pronouns are they/them and they are a 3rd year psychology major. They are a research assistant in the Child FIRST lab, the UCLA ADHD and Development Lab, and the CARE lab. They are also part of the STAND program, a leader of TransUP, and a Peer Learning Facilitator. After graduation, they hope to take 1-2 gap years and apply to a PhD program in Clinical Psychology. A fun fact about them is that they enjoy making snail mail!
EMILY HUANG
Emily(she/her) is a 4th year psychobiology major. Outside of URJP, she is involved in doing research at the Memory & Lifespan Cognition lab as a research assistant. She is also a mental health coach for the STAND program to provide accessible mental health service for community college students. After graduation, she plans to work as a research assistant in a psychology lab to one day get a PHd in clinical psychology. A fun fact is that she likes to do jigsaw puzzles
AIMEE KANADJIAN
Aimee Kanadjian (she/her/hers) is a third year student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biomedical Research. She is also involved in the USAC Office of the Transfer Student Representative. After graduation, she plans to pursue graduate studies to become a speech-language pathologist or an audiologist. Fun fact, she spent the last 5 years volunteering on a boat!
ASHLEY KIM
Ashley Kim (she/her) is a second-year studying Psychobiology on a pre-med track. Outside of URJP, Ashley is the External Vice President for HAND (High-Tech and Neuro-Disorders) and Media Chair for KASA (Korean American Student Association). A fun fact about Ashley is that she can play several instruments including drums and the electric guitar.
AH YEON KWON
Ah Yeon is a fourth year Psychology major with a Specialization in Computing. She is currently a research assistant at the CARE in Youth Mental Health Lab and is also conducting a senior thesis in the Culture and Contact Lab. After graduation, she hopes to find a post-baccalaureate position in a social or clinical psychology lab and eventually apply to graduate school. Her current hobbies include knitting, watching Arrested Development, learning ASL, and browsing Rocket Fizz.
JOYCE LIN
Joyce (she/her) is a second-year linguistics and psychology major with a minor in disability studies. Outside of URJP, she works at the Vivarium (the Zebrafish Lab) on campus and is a part of Alternative Breaks, a service club. After graduation, she plans to go to grad school for speech language pathology, which will hopefully become her career path. A fun fact about her is that she can count to ten in ten different languages!
HELEN (XIN) LIU
Xin (she/them) is a third-year Psychology major with a minor in Linguistics. Outside of being an editor at URJP, they are also a research assistant at both the Language and Cognitive Development Lab and the Teaching Learning and Communications Lab. Once they graduate, they hope to eventually earn a Ph.D in Abnormal Child Development and start their own clinic. Outside of academia, Xin once successfully bench-pressed a UCLA dorm bunk bed, though results might not be replicable.
MICHELLE RIVERA LOMELI
Michelle is currently a third-year neuroscience major with an interest in mental health and the connections between mental health and neurological pathology. Her pronouns are she/hers. Besides being a URJP editor, she is involved in Bruin Partners and is a member of Acts2Fellowship, and after graduation, she plans on applying to a neuroscience graduate program among other programs (both academic and potentially faith-based). A fun fact about Michelle is that she likes the wood-like smell of old books.
JENNA PIMENTA
Jenna (she/her) is a first year psychobiology major. Beyond URJP, she is involved with the Swim club and Montilab, and her plans after graduation include medical school. A fun fact about her is that she has a golden retriever named Harley!
MALLIKA SINGH
Coming Soon….
QIRAN SUN
Cheryl uses she/her pronoun. She is a second year pre-psychology major who will be declaring psychology this upcoming winter. She is also a member of UCLA club sport and is currently doing Kendo. She plans on going to graduate school after graduation and explore the career of a clinical psychologist. She learned to bake during the quarantine and became pretty good at it, but she never learned to cook.
MICHELLE WANG
Michelle (she/her) is a fourth year Psychobiology major. Beyond URJP, she is involved in a child psychology research lab, and enjoys fostering dogs and cats in her free time. Her plans after graduation involve adopting a kitten and hopefully attending medical school.
JULIA ZHOU
Julia is a third-year psychology major and cognitive science minor. Outside of URJP, she is also an undergrad research assistant in the DiSH Lab and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. She hopes to pursue graduate programs after college. Fun fact: her dog recently graduated (from training)
Submissions and Workshops
CHRISTIAN BELTRAN
(He/Him/His) I’m a 4th year (2nd year transfer) psychology major from Irvine, CA. On top of being a member of URJP, I’m a member of Psi Chi, The Undergraduate Psychology Society, and I also work at Trader Joe’s. After undergrad, I plan on getting a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and hope to be a professor one day. One fun fact about me is that I like to bartend private parties and events around LA.
REBECCA EPNER
Rebecca (she/her) is a third year Cognitive Science major with a specialization in computing. Aside from working with URJP, Rebecca is spending her fall quarter participating in the Young Tech Professionals Bootcamp developing an EdTech website to create a collaborative, individualized learning space for all students. After she graduates, she is hoping to join the product development space as a user experience researcher and designer.
KEIRA MINAMIZONO-VON IMBIOR
Keira (she/her) is a second year student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Labor Studies. She is currently in the Annual Exhibition Committee within the Women’s Empowerment Coalition and a member of Unravel, Mixed Student Union (MSU), and The Undergraduate Psychology Society (TUPS). After graduating UCLA, she plans to attend graduate school and eventually become an industrial/organizational psychologist. A fun fact about Keira is that she has never gotten brain freeze!
JAHRED SULLIVAN
My name is Jahred. Pronouns are he/him/his. I am a third-year studying psychology and hoping to double minor in the study of religion and brain and behavioral health. Outside of URJP I am involved in two research projects, volunteer for the Institute on Aging, and serve on the Happiness Club. My plans after graduation are to do research for two or three years before entering graduate school, to which I am interested in pursuing a program in environmental psychology, social psychology, or cognitive psychology. A fun fact about myself is that I have a twin brother.
Marketing and Finance
TARANGINI ARUNACHALAM
Hi everyone! My name is Tarangini Arunachalam, and I’m a first year pre-psychology major!! I’m from Long Island, New York! After graduation, I hope to go to grad school for clinical psychology! Also fun fact: i love making friendship bracelets:)
HANNA LIU
Hanna (she/her) is first year studying Cognitive Science. Outside of the marketing team at URJP, she is a graphics intern for the Daily Bruin and spends her free time drawing, baking, or traveling. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in UX/UI design. A fun fact about her is that she has lived in both the East and West Coasts!
MAKAYLA SANTOS
Makayla (she/her) is a sophomore cognitive science major. Outside of URJP, she helps illustrate for Pages for Pediatrics, which creates children’s books on childhood illnesses to improve hospital stays for pediatric patients. She hopes to one day work in child psychology or pediatrics. Fun fact: she makes most of her own earrings!