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Meet Our Undergraduate Students

Olivia Charles

Senior, Biological Sciences and Psychology

Olivia is fascinated by diabetes and cardiovascular health. Her interests lie particularly in exploring the biological basis of their etiology and treatment. She hopes to dedicate her research efforts to studying diet and its impact on both physical and mental health, ideally within organizations like the NIH or FDA.

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When Olivia is not immersed in Biochemistry, she enjoys unwinding with K-dramas, expressing creativity through painting and scrapbooking. Dancing is another passion that that keeps her active and energized!

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Maria Quino (she/her)

Senior, Psychology and Biopsychology Certification

Maria's research interests focus on understanding the mechanisms and intervention programs related to Depression, Anxiety, Symptom Somatic Disorders, Cognitive Thinking, and chronic illnesses such as Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, and Diabetes. She is passionate about gaining a deeper understanding of how to improve mental and physical health outcomes.

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Outside of her academic pursuits, Maria enjoys dancing salsa and bachata, going on long hikes, reflective journaling, and exploring new places through road trips and airplane travel.

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Michael Sung (he/him)

Senior, Psychology

Michael is passionate about the intersection of social determinants of health, diseases, and treatments. His research interests focus on exploring how factors like socioeconomic status, education, and healthcare access influence health outcomes in individuals and communities. Michael is particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms through which social factors impact clinical health outcomes.​ He plans to attend medical school and work to address health disparities through equitable and compassionate patient care.

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In his free time, he enjoys baking, watching C-Dramas, running, photography, playing/watching soccer, and reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

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Sophia Jafari (she/her)

Junior, Psychology & Biological Sciences, Double Degrees

Sofia's research interests focus on the alignment between human psychology and physiology, with a particular interest in how genetic and environmental factors contribute to heart conditions like cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias. She is passionate about understanding the connection between mental and physical health, especially how physiological processes impact psychological outcomes. Sofia is considering both Psy.D. programs and medical schools for her future career.

 

Outside of school, Sofia is an avid piano player of over 10 years, a coral reef hobbyist with more than 10 fish tanks, and enjoys puzzles, word searches, sudoku, and Legos.

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Kel Parks (she/her)

Sophomore, Psychology, Bioinformatics Minor

Kel is deeply interested in exploring treatment options for communities facing health disparities, particularly at-risk youth. Her research interests lie at the intersection of physical and mental health, particularly how brain and nervous system conditions overlap with cognitive and behavioral aspects of mental health. She is drawn to studying glioblastoma and neurodegenerative diseases and their impact on the brain's function, structure, and mental health. Kel plans to pursue an M.D. or M.D./Ph.D., specializing in adolescent psychiatry or pediatric neurology.

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Outside of school, Kel enjoys arts and crafts, hiking, listening to music, and playing the drums. 

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