Oana Groza | Editor-in-Chief | oana.groza@nyu.edu
Oana Groza is a senior majoring in Applied Psychology and Global Public Health. Since her freshman year, Oana has been a research assistant for the Social Inequality and Intergroup Relations (SIIR) team in the Department of Applied Psychology. As a sophomore, she joined the Public Health Policy team in the College of Global Public Health. More recently, she joined HealthCorps – a nonprofit aimed to provide school-based health education and outreach to children and adolescents – as a Monitoring & Evaluation intern. Oana is interested in investigating and evaluating policy and programming that fosters and improves health outcomes for vulnerable populations. When she is not doing research or work for OPUS, you can find her catching up with friends in front of the Tompkins Square dog park. After graduation, she plans to work in the field of health and social policy and, in the near future, she intends to pursue a Masters in Public Health.
Freya Chen | Communication Director | yc3244@nyu.edu
Freya Chen is the Director of Communications and is currently a sophomore in the Applied Psychology program, with a secondary major in Economics. She previously worked with local charity organizations that help children in poverty in underdeveloped areas in China and advocate for social justice for underrepresented groups. She is interested in women’s mental health, as well as organizational psychology, and hopes to conduct research in the related areas.
Sydney Liang | Layout and Design Director | syl569@nyu.edu
Sydney Liang is one of the Layout and Design Directors of OPUS and a sophomore in the Applied Psychology program, with a minor in Media, Culture, and Communications. She has previously done volunteer work to provide aid to the refugee community in Hong Kong and enjoys utilizing her graphic design skills in issues pertaining to social justice. Sydney hopes to explore industrial-organizational psychology and further immerse herself in psychological research.
Grace Park | Layout and Design Director | asg521@nyu.edu
Grace Park is one of the Layout and Design Directors of OPUS as well as the OPUSzines Creative Director. She is a sophomore in the Applied Psychology program hoping to minor in Nutrition and Studio Art. Grace enjoys using her graphic and creative design skills to spread awareness of global issues in Mental Health and Psychology. She hopes to continue exploring different fields at NYU while chasing creatively stimulating ideas.
Tiffany Wong | Contributing Writer | tw1517@nyu.edu
Tiffany is a senior in Applied Psychology with a minor in Nutrition. She is currently a research intern at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), a policy advocacy organization aimed specifically to address the needs of Asian families and children. In addition, she is a research assistant at the Culture, Emotion and Health lab, where she has worked with Chinese speaking cancer patients to learn about the role of emotional disclosure and cognitive changes in writing. Tiffany has a vested interest in understanding how different cultural adaptations can be made to enhance the quality of life amongst individuals with special needs. In the future, Tiffany hopes to explore the intersections of research and clinical experience in the field of occupational therapy.
Mikell Bursky | Contributing Writer | mb7073@nyu.edu
Mikell Bursky is a senior in his final semester in the Applied Psychology program. Mikell’s interest in psychology began with his early studies of Buddhist philosophy and meditation. In 2008, he traveled through India, Nepal, China and Mongolia, and then lived in a monastery in upstate New York from 2014-2016. In 2016, Mikell entered CUNY Queensborough College with the intention of integrating his mindfulness-based studies with modern psychological theory, research and practice. After completing his Associates Degree, Mikell received a scholarship to complete his B.S. at NYU’s Department of Applied Psychology. At NYU he has been a research assistant in NYU’s Mindful Education Lab, where he has been involved in the development of a mindfulness intervention for college students, as well as the Families and Children Experiencing Success (FACES) Lab, where he has been involved in a study investigating the lived experience of minority adolescents with ADHD. Most recently, Mikell was brought on board as a Project Coordinator for the Nikulina Lab at CUNY Queens College. Mikell intends to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in order to expand his knowledge, contribute to the field of psychological science, and make a positive impact in the world.
Sanjidah T. Chowdhury | Contributing Writer | stc369@nyu.edu
Sanjidah Chowdhury is a senior in her final semester in the Applied Psychology program. She is a research assistant in the Adolescent Language Lab, and currently is heading the development of the coding guide for their boys’ focused project. Sanjidah is excited to publish her first paper in this journal. Sanjidah is interested in how and why individuals utilize mental health and community services. She is also interested in the ideology development of individuals of different generational statuses, due to her own first-generation United States born status. This paper is a proposal for a research project seekng to understand the psychological impact of an empowerment program developed by a non-profit Muslim-American women-focused organization, at which Sanjidah interned. She aspires to become a counselor to better serve the mental health needs of women, Muslims, and the South Asian community living in the United States.
YiLin Lee | Contributing Writer | yilin.lee@nyu.edu
YiLin is a senior in her final semester in the Applied Psychology program, with a minor in Sociology. She is a member of the Latino Family Engagement and Language Development (L-FELD) lab, as both a kindergarten classroom volunteer and research assistant. YiLin is excited to publish her second paper in this journal. She is extremely interested in early childhood education, specifically in ways to enhance the academic experience for disenfranchised communities. YiLin is also interested in international education, due to her own experiences as an international student throughout her academic life. This paper is a study conducted over the summer as part of an independent research project with Dr. Adina Schick, and draws on interviews with faculty members of a nonprofit educational organization where YiLin worked as a Program Assistant. In the future, YiLin plans to pursue international education policy in order to better inform education systems in an increasingly globalized world.
Click here to return to the Fall 2019 Issue Contents page.