A passion for psychology as a science is born in the classroom. Although I entered college hoping to become a therapist, a social psychology seminar in my sophomore year changed everything. I realized that I was most interested in the psychological mechanisms that drive social interactions. For example, when I learned that people were less likely to help in large groups, I needed to understand the “why” (diffusion of responsibility). My instructor could see my interest and invited me to be a research assistant in her lab. Participating in research (and eventually writing a senior thesis) solidified a new dream: I wanted to be a social psychologist. Put simply, one class changed my whole career trajectory.
As an instructor, I encourage students to approach every psychology class with the same intrigue, to apply social psychological concepts to their own experiences, and to read and engage in psychological research to understand those experiences better. To achieve these goals, I strive to create a collaborative environment where students are active participants in their own learning. I also aim to make psychology and psychological research accessible to and inclusive of everyone.
I've served as lead instructor for social psychology, and was a teaching assistant to several foundational psychology courses (e.g., introduction to psychology, research methods, statistics) and upper-level division lab courses. I was previously awarded UCSB’s Graduate Student Association’s Excellence in Teaching Award, which is given to graduate students who go above and beyond as instructors.