TIES Alumni & Graduates

Lab members that will always be a part of our TIES family!

Dominique Benamu: Dominique "Nicki" Benamu was a co-project coordinator for the TIES Lab from August 2022-June 2023. Nicki graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in May of 2022 with a B.S.A in Neuroscience, a B.A in Plan II Honors and a minor in Art History. She is currently attending UT Southwestern medical school in Dallas, TX. Nicki also hopes to incorporate what she has learned about child development, familial relationships, and mental health during her time with the TIES Lab throughout her career as a medical professional.

Anthony Carrera: Anthony graduated from UT in 2023 majoring in Psychology earning a certificate with BDP in Patients/Practitioners/Cultures of Care. His goals are to continue his studies by going to graduate school and earning his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. He is interested in child development and trauma and how their upbringing correlates to mood disorders.

Eury Vargas: Eury is a senior psychology major minoring in educational psychology. She hopes to go to grad school and one day become a school psychologist to help younger kids navigate through trauma.

Karissa Adams: Karissa graduated from UT in 2023 with a BS in Psychology with a certificate in Spanish for Medical Health Professions. She plans to go to medical school in order to begin her pursuits into the field of Psychiatry. She aspires to improve the lives of individuals that struggle with mental health disorders through efficacious, culturally competent treatment. Karissa is also interested in research that contributes to the development of innovative and inclusive therapeutic methods.

Elizabeth del Valle: Elizabeth is a senior majoring in psychology and Natural & Applied Sciences with minors in Biology and Chemistry. Her career goal is to attend medical school and become a pediatric oncological neurosurgeon.

Richard Tran: Richard graduated in Fall of 2022 from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. He is currently applying to graduate school to do research on underserved communities and the health disparities that affect them so profoundly. Richard ultimately wants to advocate for these communities so that more steps can be taken toward true health equity.

Olivia Hornik: Olivia graduated in Spring of 2023 from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and minored in communications and leadership. She plans to move back to the east coast to attend NYU's Silver program for a Master's in Social Work. Olivia hopes to one day open her own practice, and continue to make a difference in the mental health field.

Karissa Adams: Karissa graduated in Spring of 2023 from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's in Psychology with a certificate in Spanish for Medical Health Professions. She will be working as a Medical Assistant at a primary care clinic in Miami, Florida that focuses on integrating technology into healthcare for more preventative models and improved outcomes in patient care. During this time, Karissa also intends to go through the medical application process as well.

Claudia Marquez: Claudia graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor's in Psychology. She is looking into graduate school and wants to ultimately pursue a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Claudia is interested in researching the difference in development of different family types (in different cultures, concerning different compositions, genders, sexualities etc.) and hopes to become a Clinical Psychologist and have her own practice one day.

Avery Hendrick: Avery graduated in Spring of 2023 from the University of Austin with a Bachelor's in both Plan II and Psychology. She plans to move to D.C. to teach Special Education through the Teach for America program. She hopes to one day attend graduate school for either Clinical Psychology or to practice Law.

Noelle Liles: Noelle graduated in Fall of 2022 from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's in Psychology and a minor in Educational Psychology. She will be moving to California to attend Pepperdine University to pursue a Master's in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. She hopes to work in hospitals and schools, with one day wanting to have her own practice.

Adriana Dominguez: Adriana is currently a Senior at FIU, majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics and she will be graduating in May 2023. Her goal is to go to medical school to pursue an MD/DO degree. She is specifically interested in Pediatrics and Gynecology.

Lissette Reynaga: Lissette is an FIU Graduate with a Bachelor's in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology/Anthropology. Her academic goals are getting into grad school to do research about the affects of being bicultural in 1st generation Hispanics and their experience with colorism, discrimination, and self-esteem by being in both Hispanic and American culture.

Olivia Hudgens: Olivia graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Forensic Science. She is currently working as a researcher at UT Southwestern in Dallas. She hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a special interest in mood disorders and abnormal behaviors.

Avery Hendrick: Avery graduated from UT in 2023 with majors in Plan II and Psychology. She was accepted into the Teach for America program in Washington D.C. and is considering that and/or graduate school. Her goal is to go into clinical practice or research to improve access and utilization of mental health tools.

Olivia Hornik: Olivia graduated from UT in 2023 with a BA in Psychology, minoring in communications and leadership. She hopes to go to school for a Masters in Social Work after graduating UT Austin in the Fall of 2023. She is very intrigued by the way individuals interact and feels she is at her truest self when she is helping others. Olivia has always been the group therapist for her friends, and she hope to make a difference in individuals and families lives through counseling with a focus on mental health

Maddie Sheehan: Maddie graduated from UT in 2023 with a Psychology major and she plans to go to medical school to become a physician. She is interested in women, children, trauma, health equity and disparities.

Noelle Liles: Noelle graduated from UT in 2023 with a Psychology major minoring in Educational Psychology. Her goal is to attend graduate school for Clinical Psychology. Specifically, she wants to study parenting styles and their effect on children's mental health outcomes. She is also interested in relationship dynamics in couples where at least one partner is struggling with mental illness.

Catherine O'Shaughnessy: Catherine recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in December, 2022, with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology/Archaeology. She plans to remain in Austin for the next year, working as a nanny and research assistant in the TIES Lab before attending graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in developmental psychology. She is particularly interested in childhood development and the effects of attachment relationships and trauma on childhood behavioral and physiological development. She can often be found on outdoor adventures with her dog and the children she helps care for!

Zachary Bricken: Zachary graduated from UT in 2023 with a psychology major with a certificate in elements of computing. He is most interested in how we can use modern technology for the betterment of children's mental health, such as JITAI. Zachary hopes to attend a research focused graduate program in clinical psychology.

Nicole Buhr: Nicole graduated from UT in 2023 with a Psychology BS major with a minor in Art History. She is hoping to go to medical school but is still exploring her options.

Alexandria Viltz: Alex graduated from UT in 2023 with a major in Psychology and minoring in forensic science. She is interested in how drug interactions affect the brain specifically with mood disorders. She hopes to get a PhD in clinical Psychology with a focus in neuropsychology.

Lydia Lovelace: Lydia graduated from UT in 2023 with a B.S. in Psychology. She is currently applying to grad-school and her end goal is clinical child psychology.

Purna Zaman: Purna graduated from UT in 2023 with a BA Psychology major and minor in Sociology. She hopes to get a PhD in Social Psychology because she is interested in social challenges, like implicit bias or other disparities and how they affect our behaviors, along with our brains.

Tanner Brooke Slubar: Tanner graduated from UT in 2023 with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in Educational Psychology. She hopes to continue studies and move into a P.h.D or Psy.D Clinical Psychology program after expanding her experience in the field of Psychology. She is interested in mental health disparities and has a background in social work and the fostercare system. Tanner looks forward to continuing to learn and grow academically!

Maddie Sheehan: Maddie graduated from UT in 2023 with a Psychology major and she plans to go to medical school to become a physician. She is interested in women, children, trauma, health equity and disparities.

Noelle Liles: Noelle graduated from UT in 2023 with a Psychology major minoring in Educational Psychology. Her goal is to attend graduate school for Clinical Psychology. Specifically, she wants to study parenting styles and their effect on children's mental health outcomes. She is also interested in relationship dynamics in couples where at least one partner is struggling with mental illness.

Catherine O'Shaughnessy: Catherine recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in December, 2022, with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology/Archaeology. She plans to remain in Austin for the next year, working as a nanny and research assistant in the TIES Lab before attending graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in developmental psychology. She is particularly interested in childhood development and the effects of attachment relationships and trauma on childhood behavioral and physiological development. She can often be found on outdoor adventures with her dog and the children she helps care for!

Stone Nwamadi: Stone is a public health major on the pre-med track. They are very excited to be a part of TIES lab to learn about how digital tools can affect mental health!

Angela Ji: Angela is a senior Neuroscience major minoring in Business. She plans to take a gap year and then apply to medical school. She is interested in the developmental process of children during their transition into adolescence, with a particular emphasis on the social and physical neurological aspects.

Nikhita Ajaykumar: Nikhita is a junior neuroscience major minoring in computer science. She hopes to get a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a quantitative focus.

Jane Lin: Jane is a senior Psychology major, minoring in Sociology. She is interested in interpersonal trauma and how that affects our development. Jane would like to explore career options that intersects psychology and technology.

Emilie Robinson: Emilie is a seniorHuman Development and Family Sciences major with a minor in Educational Psychology. She hopes to go to graduate school for counseling/therapy, primarily to help families and children.

Ashley Washington: Ashley is a senior majoring in BA Psychology and minoring in Statistics. She plans to continue her education in Psychology into Graduate School. Her main interests are how trauma impacts the development of children into adolescence in social and physical neurological aspects.

Logan Kronforst: Logan is a 4th year music major studying classical guitar in the Butler School of Music, while simultaneously pursuing the certificate in scientific computation in the department of statistics and data sciences. He is currently a summer 2023 behavioral data science intern for the TIES lab working on building machine learning models from LIWK and passive sensing data. His research interests are mostly related to solving complex psychological phenomena through leveraging exploratory data science and machine learning methodologies.

Jebin Justin: Hey guys! I'm a fourth year Psychology major here at UT. I'm originally from the metropolitan wonderland of Texarkana, TX. I am super interested in anything psychology, from mental health to the neurobiological inner-workings of the human mind- why we do the things we do. In my free time, I enjoy playing the guitar, spending time in the gym/outdoors, and hanging out with friends. Don't hesitate to hit me up if you want to start a band and/or talk about anything!

Bryanna Boone: Bryanna is a junior psychology major at the University of Texas at Austin. She is interested in mental health equity, moral reasoning, and bias. In the future, she hopes to go to graduate school for Psychology and earn her PhD to work in psychological research.

Mauro Cardona Reyes: Mauro is a junior sociology major at the University of Texas at Austin. He is interested in the human mind and why humans act the way they do. Moral reasoning, the reason behind our actions, and determining how humans should live their lives are other areas of interest. He hopes to go to graduate school for Psychology and earn his masters or PsyD in order to become a therapist and/or conduct research.

Hannah Odewale: Hannah Odewale is a junior Sociology major from Houston, Texas. She also is minoring in Educational Psychology and pursuing a BDP certificate under Children and the Family. After undergrad, Hannah plans to obtain her Masters Degree in either Counseling or Clinical Psychology. Hannah plans to become a Child Therapist. Her research interests are Child Development, Behavioral Science, Family Relationships and other factors that contribute to one’s Mental Health.