Biographies

Rachel Lim – Editor-In-Chief (r.lim@nyu.edu)

Rachel Lim is a senior in the Applied Psychology undergraduate program. She is a member of the Latino Family Engagement and Language Development (L-FELD) research team, where she has the opportunity to work with teachers and children in early childhood classrooms in New York City. In her time at NYU, Rachel has gained various research experiences. As a past extern at NYU FTRG, she coded videos of teen relationship interactions to examine patterns of dominance and coercion. Rachel was also an intern at the NYU Child Study Center where she was involved in the development of research protocols for gaining normative and clinical data through Internet-based research methods. Rachel’s research interests primarily lie in early childhood education and developmental psychology. Currently, she is pursuing an Honors thesis on teachers’ instructional support in early childhood classrooms and its implications for children’s learning.  

 

Alexa Montemayor – Editor-In-Chief (am7129@nyu.edu)

Alexa Montemayor is a senior in the Applied Psychology undergraduate program with a minor in Sociology. She is a research assistant on the RISE (Researching Inequity in Society Ecologically) team, led by Dr. Shabnam Javdani and Dr. Sukhmani Singh. As a part of the RISE team, Alexa is also a member of the ROSES (Resilience, Opportunity, Safety, Education, Strength) data collection team, a community-based program that is being implemented and evaluated as a part of a New York University study. The goal of the ROSES study is to learn more about the needs of girls who are at-risk for involvement or are involved with the juvenile justice system and to understand how the system can better work for these individuals. Alexa recently joined the additional Phase 1 project on ROSES, where she is creating a qualitative coding scheme to identify common themes in juvenile justice system stakeholders’ perceptions of the legal system in New York City and the way that girls interact with the system. Alexa is also a volunteer at Bellevue Hospital where she routinely screens children and adolescents in the psychiatry department. Alexa hopes to continue her work in social justice and is pursuing a masters degree in social work.

 

Khirad Siddiqui – Editor-In-Chief (khirad.siddiqui@nyu.edu)

Khirad Siddiqui is a senior in the Applied Psychology undergraduate program, and is currently an Editor-in-Chief of OPUS. Her primary research interests are in discrimination, criminal justice, and prison reform. She began her research with the Fair Housing Justice Center on a project about housing discrimination against Muslim-Americans, and then transitioned to a role on the NYU Publicolor/PaintClub team to research an intervention in schools around New York. She has been working as a Juvenile Justice Advocate with the R.O.S.E.S. research team for the past year, which has allowed her the privilege of working directly with girls who are involved in the juvenile justice system. Currently, she is pursuing an Honors thesis on the justifications that parents give for filing legal petitions against their children. She also serves as the President of the Applied Psychology Undergraduate Club and works on-campus as a Presidential Intern at NYU.

 

Kerry Luo – Contributing Writer (kl2563@nyu.edu)

Kerry Luo is a senior in the Applied Psychology program with a Creative Writing minor. She has been on L-FELD for one year transcribing data, conducting direct child assessments, and volunteering in lower elementary classrooms. Over the past three years, she has worked directly with youth in a variety of settings such as correctional facilities, creative writing workshops, and afterschool programs. Kerry is interested in how the school setting influences socioemotional development for multicultural populations and wants to focus her career on culturally competent mental health care and advocacy for children and adolescents.

 

Ellie Harrison – Senior Staff Writer (egh268@nyu.edu)

Ellie Harrison is a senior in the applied psychology department, minoring in education and animal studies. She currently works as a therapeutic horseback riding instructor with GallopNYC and an advocate with NYU’s ROSES advocacy program for juvenile justice involved girls. She is also president of NYU Psi Chi, the international honors society of psychology. Next year, she will be teaching special education in New York City public schools through Teach for America.

 

Shira Richards-Rachlin – Contributing Writer (srr400@nyu.edu)

Shira Richards-Rachlin is a senior in the Applied Psychology program. Her fieldwork at Kurtz Psychology as well as internships at the Child Study Center and the Child Mind Institute have exposed her to multiple clinical settings treating children with Selective Mutism, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, and more. Shira is looking forward to attending graduate school for social work in order to broaden her clinical lens, and she hopes to one day work at Bellevue Hospital assessing and diagnosing children in the emergency room.

 

Anastasia Knight – Senior Staff Writer (afk307@nyu.edu)

Anastasia Knight is a senior at NYU studying Applied Psychology. Currently, she is an advocate on NYU ROSES, advocating for system-involved girls to assist them in accessing their resources and challenging negative narratives. She has also interned with The Fortune Society, an organization based in Long Island City which provides formerly incarcerated individuals with access to job training, education, employment opportunities, meals, ATI programs, and more. In the future, she is interested in pursuing policy consulting, in hopes of making a difference in how businesses and local governments navigate inclusion and accessibility.

 

Alyce Cho – Communication Director (ac5843@nyu.edu)

Alyce Cho is a senior in the Applied Psychology program with a minor in Sociology. Her primary area of interest is in child development and special education. Currently, she is a research assistant at CRCDE, exploring spatial skills of Korean and U.S. Children, as well as child and parent interaction in play. She plans to pursue her interests in special education by furthering her education in special education law.

 

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