Graduate Students
Jinyi Zhang
Jinyi is a doctoral student in the Institute of Child Development. She is broadly interested in children’s social cognitive development, especially how children make decisions for themselves and other people. Jinyi graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Psychology in 2017. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, cooking, karaoke and outdoor activities with her family.
Undergraduate Students
Bella Andrade
Bella is a junior double majoring in Psychology (B.S.) and Family and Human Development (B.S.) with a certificate in Disability Studies at Arizona State University. Originally from Plymouth, Minnesota, she is interested in how disability and other social disparities affect child and adolescent development. Additionally, she is interested in how evidence-based skills within early intervention programs can improve child and adolescent development. After graduation, Bella plans to further her education in either developmental or clinical psychology and hopes to continue doing research within these fields. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, trying out local coffee shops, and hanging out with her dog, Blaine. As a child, her favorite book was Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor.
Annalise Armstrong
Annalise majored in Psychology at the University of Minnesota. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to take a gap year to figure out exactly what she wants to do, but she is thinking of becoming a child life specialist later on. In her free time she likes to work out, hang out with friends, and binge watch new TV shows. Her favorite book growing up was If you Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff.
Angelika Bass-Gladkova
Angelika was a pre-medical psychology student. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, she plans to either go to medical school to become a neonatal fetal surgeon or get her master’s degree in genetic counseling. When not at school, Angelika is coaching gymnastics at the gym she owns with her mom. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside with her kitten, Missy, and going on bike rides. Growing up, her favorite children’s book was Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or Fancy Nancy.
Jessalyn Dvorak
Jess majored in developmental psychology with a minor in social justice at the University of Minnesota. She plans on earning her PhD to conduct further research in developmental psychology. A fun fact about her is that she is ambidextrous. Jess’s hobbies include hiking, playing instruments, travellng, and watching movies. Her favorite children’s books when she was younger were the Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish.
Anna Eidum
Anna earned her B.S. in Psychology at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. Her hometown is Apple Valley, MN and she plans on going to either graduate school or medical school. She hopes to continue doing research with racial biases. Some things that she enjoys to do include painting, rock climbing and hanging out with friends. Her favorite book as a child was Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.
Joslyn Gannon
Joslyn majored in Child Psychology and minored in public health. After graduating with her degree she plans on taking a gap year to figure out what she wants to do, but attending PA school or becoming a child life specialist sounds interesting. Outside of school she enjoys hanging out with friends, reading, and watching new movies and TV shows. Her favorite book growing up was Cat in the Hat.
Lamee Ibrahim-Waday
Lamee studied Human Resource Development and Management Information Systems. After graduating she would like to secure a job working for a huge firm. A fun fact about Lamee is that she was born in New York and moving to Minnesota gave her a chance to be ahead of her class. She enjoys playing basketball or working out in her free time. Her favorite book as a child was Dork Diaries.
Betsy Kirkpatrick
Betsy is a junior at St. Olaf college planning to major in either psychology or biology. She is originally from Minneapolis, MN and enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with family and friends. Her future plans include going to graduate school and doing research in the biology or psychology fields. As a child, her favorite book was Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.
Franchesca Larrabee
Franchesca studied Psychology at the University of Minnesota. She is originally from New Mexico and enjoys studying/learning about true crime and serial killers. She hopes to go to graduate school and obtain her master’s degree along with either a PsyD or PhD. In her free time she loves to travel and learn new things. Her favorite book as a child was Green Eggs and Ham.
Ethan Lien
Ethan earned a BS in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Anthropology at the University of Minnesota. Originally from Moorhead, Minnesota, he is interested in moving on to graduate school, although he’s unsure of exactly what he’ll study there, but he has an interest in social work. In his free time, he writes short stories, plays Nintendo video games, and runs. He also reads often, and his favorite book as a child was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.
Brekken Mandt
Brekken majored in psychology at the University of Minnesota. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to either get a job or join a program for something along the lines of forensic/criminal psychology. She enjoys doing puzzles, fishing, bike rides and hanging out with her three cats and three dogs during her free time. Her favorite books growing up were Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park.
Megan Millis
Megan earned a B.S. in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota as well as minors in Health Psychology and Family Violence Prevention. After earning her undergraduate degree Megan hopes to continue onto graduate school and become a licensed psychologist. Megan’s hometown is Racine, Wisconsin although she has family all across the United States. In her freetime Megan enjoys crocheting, going for walks, and traveling to new places. As a child, Megan’s favorite book was The Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson.
Cassandra Mentjes
Cassandra majored in Psychology. Originally from Marshall, Minnesota, she is interested in pursuing graduate school for either Marriage and Family Counseling or Research Lab working with functional therapies. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and kayaking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. She also loves reading, and her favorite childhood book is “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch.
Adella Mulawarman
Adella is a freshman pursuing a double major in psychology and family social sciences from Maple Grove, Minnesota. She hopes to go on to graduate school and ultimately work as a professor and/or a researcher. For fun, Adella enjoys reading, writing, and trying new foods. Her favorite childhood book series was “Geronimo Stilton” by Elisabetta Dami.
Quynh Nhu Dao
Quynh studied developmental psychology at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include racial/ethnic identity, academic achievement, and educational policies. She hopes to obtain a PhD in educational policy and improve the achievement gap within the community. In her free time, she enjoys taking walks with her dog, Roxie. Quynh’s favorite children’s book is “The Rainbow Fish.”
Sadie Ochoa
Sadie is from Apple Valley, Minnesota and is a junior earning a BS in Developmental Psychology with a double minor in Media and Information and Family Therapy . After completing her undergraduate degree she plans to attend graduate school for Psychology and minor in Addictions. When she is not in school she likes to hang out with her friends, listen to music, and take pictures of landscapes and people. As a child, her favorite books were the Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renee Russell.
Olivia Patterson
Olivia is earning a BS in Developmental Psychology with a Minor in Neuroscience. She is from Wisconsin and is interested in the way that young children perceive and categorize social groups, and how that influences their current and future behavior. After graduation she plans to continue working in research, and pursue graduate school. Outside of school Olivia works at the Weisman Art Museum on campus, and enjoys painting, learning new recipes, and going to concerts with her friends. She also enjoys reading in her free time and her favorite books growing up were the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne.
Mercedes Sherwood
Mercedes majored in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota with a minor in Family Social Science. She plans on getting her masters in something related to counseling to become a therapist for children and eventually obtain her PhD. In her free time, Mercedes likes to practice Yoga, exercise, take walks, paint, and cuddle her cat. Her favorite children’s books are the Pigeon series written by Mo Willems.
Danny Reinschmidt
Danny is a junior earning a B.S. in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Family Therapy. Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Danny enjoys spending his free time camping, running, playing guitar, and being with his family and friends. His favorite childhood book was “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch.
Kayla Simon
Kayla earned a BS in Developmental Psychology. After completing her undergraduate degree she is planning to get her masters in social work. In her free time she enjoys working out, going on the lake, binge watching new tv shows and spending time with family and friends. Her favorite book as a child was Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
Maddie Tadewald
Maddie is from St Louis Park, Minnesota and is majoring in Psychology and Pre-PA. After completing undergraduate, she plans to work in a clinic for a year to obtain patient care hours for PA school requirements. Maddie’s favorite activities outside of school include baking, lifting, hanging out with friends, going on walks, etc. Her favorite childhood book was Goodnight Moon and Time for Bed.
Salma Tahlil
Salma majored in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota with a minor in Health Services Management. She plans to get some experience working in different child development fields before going back to school to get her masters in this area. A fun fact about Salma is that she has had a name change three times throughout her life. Her favorite book growing up was a Somali classic called Dhegdheer, which translates to “long ear.” It is a scary Somali folktale that all Somali parents read to their kids, and it’s always been her favorite.
Isabelle Temesgen
Isabelle majored in neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. After graduating with her undergraduate degree, she plans to work toward a PhD in neuroscience or a related field of study and practice creative writing. In her free time, Isabelle enjoys reading, watching movies, singing, and dancing. Her favorite children’s book is The Wild Swans.
Trisha Vandiar
Trisha Vandiar is a senior majoring in Neuroscience. She is interested in neuroimaging and child development and hopes to continue her education after graduation. In her free time, Trisha loves to read, travel, and experience as much of nature as she can with her dog, Biscuit. Trisha’s favorite children’s book is Kids and Cubs by Olga Perovskaya, and her personal copy has been passed down for generations in her family.
Kaitlyn Wall
Kaitlyn is from Farmington, Minnesota and is a junior Majoring in Developmental Psychology and minoring in Public Health. She plans to attend graduate school to master in Children’s Psychology and continue her studies in the healthcare field. In her free time, Kaitlyn loves baking, crafting, watching movies, and spending time with her family at the lake. Her favorite childhood book was I Love It When You Smile by Sam McBratney.
Doua Yang
Doua is a senior majoring in Psychology (B.S.). After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to take a gap year to explore the possibility of a career path in the healthcare field, with the intention of applying for PA school. In her free time, she likes to spend time with friends and family, providing a listening ear for them to share their life challenges, and simply having fun. Along with that she enjoys exploring new places for photography and trying out new foods. Her favorite childhood book is “A Bad Case of Stripes” by David Shannon.