Student Achievements

Bionna Colson-Fearson M.A. (2025) Blog Post- Black Women’s Studies Association: The Burden of Strength: Exploring the Impact of the Strong Black Woman Schema on Aging Black Women’s Health

Student Spotlight

2025

Portrait of a smiling person with curly hair on a maroon background featuring hanging stars. Text reads 'Student Spotlight' and 'Alison De Leon Escobar.

Alison De Leon Escobar is a second-year PhD student under the mentorship of Dr. Selin Gülgöz. She earned her BA from New York University and has a broad interest in children's understanding of social power hierarchies and social category representations. Currently, she is investigating children's status-based reasoning about bilingual speakers across different languages and accents. Accomplishments: Alison has previously been recognized as an Eileen Guggenheim Research Scholar and has served as a panelist in NYU's "Actually, It's Doctor!" series. This year, she was one of four recipients of the Neimark Travel Award to present her Master's thesis work at the 2025 Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Conference. Recently, she was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2025 U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program competition. Congratulations, Alison!

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Brionna Colson-Fearon is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Critical Health + Social Ecology Lab, mentored by Dr. H. Shellae Versey. Her research examines the impact of social, economic, and environmental factors on the health and well-being of Black communities, specifically Black women and girls. Her work has been featured in Psychology of Women Quarterly and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Brionna has been invited to speak about her research on the UCS Emancipatory Sciences Lab EDGES Podcast and the Fordham University Sigma Xi Honor Society Induction. Most recently, Brionna earned the Best Women/Gender Research Award from the Greater New York Conference on Behavioral Research for her Master's Thesis titled "Aging, discrimination, and Place: The Roles of Geography, Age, and Perceived Everyday Discrimination among Black Women." Congratulations, Brionna!

 

2024

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Angelica C. Vega is a second-year Ph.D. student in the 3D Lab, mentored by Dr. Lindsay Till Hoyt. Her research examines the risk and protective factors shaping the college experiences of emerging adults and nontraditional students from diverse backgrounds experiencing varied challenges. She aims to create programming, promote equity, and drive policy change to support students' success. Recently, Angelica co-authored a paper with AD alum and co-mentor Dr. Emalinda McSpadden, titled, 'Building and Patching a Pipeline: Establishing Viable Pathways from 2-Year Institutions to Graduate School for Aspiring Mental Health Professionals.' She also presented her research towards her master's thesis at the 2024 American Psychological Society's Global Summit. Angelica is also a member of the Fordham University DEI: Inclusion & Accessibility Task Force, advocating for greater inclusion in higher education. Congratulations, Angelica!

Smiling man in a maroon shirt stands with arms crossed in front of a geometric glass structure. Text: “Student Spotlight - Alireza Zareian.” Star graphics enhance the burgundy backdrop.

Alireza Zareian is a third-year ADP Ph.D. student, mentored by Dr. Joshua Brown. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Shiraz University, Iran. His research passionately explores social and emotional competencies in teachers and students, focusing on emotion regulation, mindfulness, and self-compassion, particularly among immigrant populations. Ali's outstanding work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Outstanding Graduate Student Research Paper from the Greater New York Conference on Behavioral Research, Psi Chi Graduate Scholarship, Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Award, APA Division 56 International Student Travel Award, IAAP Scholarship, APAGS/Psi Chi Junior Scientist Fellowship, APA PS-in-3 People's Choice Award, and the 3MT People's Choice Award from NAGS. Congratulations, Ali!