I began working in the field of psychology research as the only high school researcher on the Resistance Among Youth project team under Dr. Niobe Way at the NYU Science of Human Connection lab in 2018.  My role on this team of graduate researchers involves transcribing and coding interviews for Dr. Way's research, drafting a literature review, and making weekly presentations of my findings to the research team.

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This internship led to my current independent research project on adolescent language and self esteem. Under the supervision of Angelica Puzio, I am now conducting a qualitative study in clinical psychology focused on a longitudinal data set looking at the use of language and hesitation as a proxy for girls' self esteem. Angelica Puzio is mentoring me with this project, which I hope will be the first of many psychological studies I conduct.

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I have also begun an independent study at Riverdale Country Day School, using self-verification theory as a framework for analyzing the effects of a particular intervention on adolescent self-perceptions. This research is ongoing, and I hope to publish my findings in an academic journal. 

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In college and graduate school, I hope to continue researching the links between brain science, clinical psychology, and adolescent development.

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I founded the Sweet Relief initiative in 2020 to partner with small businesses in local communities. This initiative supports small businesses while also contributing to community relief efforts.

 

For example, starting in March 2020, the medical staff on the front lines of COVID-19 have been bearing a huge burden on behalf of all of us. To show gratitude for their efforts,  I organized large weekly deliveries of cupcakes to be sent to the staffs at hospitals and nursing homes in Queens, The Bronx, and Tusculoosa, Alabama.

 

Building upon my organization Cake Connect's model of year-round outreach and cake delivery to isolated elderly people across NYC, I partnered with small local businesses and bakeries to help make and deliver the cupcakes. The project serves a dual mission: supporting health care workers and small local businesses that have struggled to survive the economic repercussions of the pandemic.

 

Click here to read more about the Sweet Relief Initiative.

I have spent the last four years analyzing teenage discourse through different lenses and over this time have come to perceive the importance of recognizing the impact of words on adolescent self-esteem. When I was coding transcripts in the Science of Human Connection Lab at NYU, where I scanned hundreds of pages for hesitant language phrases, I noticed the teens on the paper slowly recede into silence over the course of the longitudinal study. This experience inspired me to design an independent study at RCS where I learned that self-verification theory, the idea that a person chooses to be around others that see her as she sees herself, holds true in some cases. I came to realize that people long to hear positive things about themselves.

Since then, I have been determined to develop active interventions that empower young women. This PSA was created as an interpretive response to my data-based research, and as a prequel to my community-powered intervention Um&Uh (Amanda), a digital application made in collaboration with Floreo Labs. https://www.umanduh.io/ <https://www.umanduh>. The video features adolescents reflecting on their self image, and then comparing that to the way their peers see them. My overarching goal throughout my work is to make teenagers aware of their self-perceptions, so that millennial and Gen Z girls can express themselves more confidently and attain healthy and fulfilling lives.
 

Click here to watch the video.

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I am the senior editor for my school's New Science magazine, and my writing focuses on the intersection of adolescent issues and psychological development.

 

In 2020, I was awarded an apprenticeship position with the Susquehanna University Writers Institute, which has published my writing. Additionally, I won three Scholastic Art & Writing Awards at the regional and national levels for my essays. 

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Selected samples of my writing can be found here. 

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In 2020, my essay, "The Benefits and Pitfalls of Self-care'" won Silver and Gold Regional Key Awards in the Critical Essay category. 

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Click here to read the essay.

Growing up in New York City, I stayed in constant contact with my extended family on three continents, including grandparents in the UK and Australia.  I relied on their advice and grew to appreciate the wisdom and insight of an older generation. In this spirit, in middle school I started volunteering with the elderly in my home city. Many of the elderly people I visited had no family nearby and little interaction with young people.

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Elderly loneliness has been linked to many negative mental and physical health effects. I wanted to do more to combat elderly social isolation in New York City, so I co-founded Cake Connect in 2017. Our organization’s mission is to connect with isolated elderly people through making them baked goods, arranging home visits, and celebrating special occasions with them.

 

Visit the Cake Connect website to learn more at www.cakeconnect.org.

Through AJAS/AAAS, I had the opportunity to present my qualitative and quantitative psychological research through a project entitled “Hesitant Language and Self Esteem in Adolescent Girls.” Following the presentation, I was also a participant at a roundtable discussion organized for participants and audience members. An abstract of my work has been published.

 

To refer to the abstract, click here.