Former Doctoral Students
Sabrina Porcelli received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University in 2023. Her research focuses on how adolescents regulate their emotions and the ways in which this relates to their behavior and mental health, with a specific focus on the trait negative urgency. Sabrina received her B.A. in psychology at George Washington University in 2018. She earned her M.A. in developmental psychology from Cornell University in 2019. She is currently a consultant working at Bain & Company in Boston.
Mary Kate Koch received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University in 2022. Her research focuses on how subjective experiences of the adolescent transition affect short- and long-term developmental outcomes. She uses both quantitative and text analysis methods in her research. Mary Kate received her M.A. from Cornell University in 2018 with a thesis on early adolescent girls’ experiences of role disruption during the pubertal transition. She is presently a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Florida.
Kaylin Ratner received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University in 2020. Prior to attending Cornell, she received an M.A. in Clinical Psychology (2015) and B.S. in Psychology (2013) from the University of Central Florida. Her work examines how identity, purpose, and meaning in life interface with psychopathology during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Her dissertation tracked college students for four years to capture the ways in which derailment–the sense of being “off-course” in life–interacts with other individual differences to predict downstream adjustment. Current information can be found on her website.
Sarah Moore received her Ph.D. in Human Development in 2016 with a focus on the interplay of genetically-influenced neurobiological tendencies and social experience on personality and social development. Her work draws on methodology from both quantitative/molecular behavioral genetics and social neuroscience. Sarah received her B.S. in psychology at the University of Maryland in 2009 where she researched attachment in mother-child dyads and evolutionary genomics. Sarah’s dissertation applied multiple approaches to identifying genetic and environmental pathways to sensitivity of emotional systems.
Former Masters Students
Amanda-Joy Wright completed the Master’s program in 2022. Her research focuses on how mental health disorders exist in and are expressed by groups impacted by race-related stressors, such as systemic oppression and racism. She also explores how racial identity development and treatment options are informed by these experiences in adolescence and emerging adulthood. She received her B.A. in Psychology at Cornell University in 2020. She is set to attend Northwestern University to pursue her doctorate.
Former Undergraduate RAs
Jessica Feldman, Class of 2022. Jessica majored in Human Development and pursuing minors in Health Policy and Inequality Studies. She is interested in adolescent psychopathology, specifically the many factors that contribute to varying outcomes among this age group.
Lauren Fogel, Class of 2022. Lauren graduated from the College of Human Ecology with a Human Development major and minors in Law & Society and Inequality Studies. Lauren works for Ernst and Young in New York City.
Bethlehem Terefe, Class of 2022. Bethlehem graduated from the College of Human Ecology majoring in Human Development with a minor in business. She is interested in adolescent psychopathology as well as very passionate about spreading mental health awareness to all especially those belonging to underrepresented communities. After graduation, Bethlehem hopes to take a gap year before pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology. She aspires to become a psychologist specifically working with youth.
Lisa Gong, Class of 2022. Lisa graduated from the college of Arts and Sciences, receiving her BS in Chemistry, with a minor in Psychology. Her research as a part of the ATL focused on how online communication is related to experiences of loneliness or connectedness.
Gaby Kubi, Class of 2020. Gaby graduated in 2020 with a BS in Human Development with minors in Education and Inequality Studies. She is currently a doctoral student in the University of Michigan’s Combined Program in Education and Psychology.
Shraddha Harshvardhan, Class of 2020. Shraddha graduated in 2020 with a BS in Policy Analysis and Management, with minors in Law and Society, and Inequality studies. She is currently working with Deloitte in New York City.
Annie Zaher, Class of 2020. Annie graduated as a Psychology major in 2020. She is currently a Behavioral Therapist at By Your Side Autism Therapy Services in Darien, Illinois
Carúmey Stevens, Class of 2019. Carúmey graduated as a Human Development major with minors in Inequality Studies and Education. She plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and becoming a clinical child psychologist specializing in vulnerable populations.
Emily Rosenthal, Class of 2018. Emily graduated as a Human Development major with a minor in policy analysis and management. She is currently pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology at UC Berkley.
Meredith Glaze, Class of 2018. Meredith graduated as a double major in Psychology and Music in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in school psychology at the University of Maryland.
Julia Lesnick, Class of 2018. Julia graduated as a Human Development major and has continued to pursue applied youth development research. After graduation, she served for AmeriCorps at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, evaluating youth programs in the Division of Youth and Family Justice. Presently she is a program analyst at the New York Foundling, where she conducts quality assurance and improvement evalutions with community mental health, child welfare, and alternative to incarceration programs.
Kirsten McKone served as the lab manager of the Adolescent Transitions Lab for two and a half years, after four years of working in education at a charter school management nonprofit in Los Angeles. In 2016, Kirsten was admitted to the doctoral program in clinical-developmental psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, where she will be advised by Dr. Brooke Molina. She is broadly interested in conducting research on risk for and resilience to psychopathology through multiple levels of analysis.
Taylor Beauvais served as lab manager of the Adolescent Transitions Lab for one year after Kirsten left. He previously worked as a senior research analyst for Roswell Medical Center and the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo, New York. Taylor received a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology from the University at Buffalo and plans to pursue a Ph.D in Psychology once he has settled on a concentration.
Greta Sloan, Class of 2018. Greta graduated as a Human Development major in the College of Human Ecology with a Spanish Minor.
Madeline Ling, Class of 2017. Madeline graduated as a Psychology major in the College of Arts & Sciences. She is currently working as a teacher for TEACH for America.
Alexandra Holmes, Class of 2016. Alexandra graduated as a human development major and French minor. Alexandra spent the Spring of 2015 in Aix-en-Provence France studying human development in a cross-cultural context.
Taylor McGuire, Class of 2016. Taylor graduated with a BS in Human Development in 2016. Following graduation, Taylor worked as a research assistant at the Youth Depression and Suicide Prevention Program at the University of Michigan. In 2020, Taylor began the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Harvard University, studying under Matthew Nock.
Kathleen McCormick, Class of 2016. Kathleen graduated with a BS in Human Development in 2016. She is presently a graduate student in The AT Lab.
Patricia D. Gonzalez, Class of 2015. Patricia (Patty) is pursing a PhD in Counseling Psychology at Indiana University Bloomington, where she aims to give back to diverse communities by conducting research on substance use in minority populations, while also learning how to be a multi-culturally sensitive practitioner.
Anna Mai, Class of 2015. Anna is currently a medical assistant for a cardiologist at a private practice
Amanda Molina, Class of 2015. Amanda graduated with a BA in Anthropology and Psychology. She is presently an administrative aide at NYU.
Meredith Moser, Class of 2015. Meredith graduated as a Human Development major. She anticipates attending medical school.
Natalie Finn, Class of 2013. Natalie was the recipient of the 2013 Henry Ricciuti Memorial Award for Outstanding Seniors. After graduating Natalie worked for the Child & Adolescent Services Research Center at the University of California San Diego. She is currently a Clinical Psychology PhD student at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Southam-Gerow Laboratory.