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!
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.
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.
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.
Julia Willimann (she/her)
Sophomore, Psychology & Philosophy, Biology Minor
Julia is interested in the intersection between cognitive psychology and biology, specifically how memory and cognitive function can be monitored and preserved through bio-physiological means. Julia hopes to one day obtain a PhD in cognitive science and work in medical research to contribute to the prevention and treatment of neurological disorders.
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​In her free time, Julia enjoys staying active with weightlifting, reading philosophy and fiction, drawing, and journaling.
Riya Koshy (she/her)
Freshman, Psychology, Public Health Minor
Riya's research interests lie in the connection between psychological factors and physical health, specifically cardiometabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. Riya seeks to develop a deeper understanding of how mental health impacts physical health. Her eventual career goal is in the health care field
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Some hobbies Riya has outside of school are reading psychological thrillers, watching movies, and painting.
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