Alex Jordan ’24
Major: Psychology

Families for Depression Awareness

This summer, I interned at a nonprofit organization in Waltham, Massachusetts called Families for Depression Awareness. The mission of Families for Depression Awareness is to provide education and training to caregivers and families who have a loved one living with depression or bipolar disorder. During my internship, I conducted community outreach, created educational content for teens and their families, and attended mental-health focused events and webinars. While working with Families for Depression Awareness, I was able to attend staff meetings to get more of an understanding of how a non-profit functions. I volunteered for Families for Depression Awareness in high school and am so thankful I had the experience of coming back to work with this organization on a larger scale. Through my experience, I gained insight into how mood disorders affect caregivers, and the impact caregivers have on their loved one’s well-being in regards to depression and bipolar.

Meaghan McKenna ’24
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior and Latin double major

Researching PTSD’s Neurobiological Traces and the Significance of Human-Focused Research

Coming into my Lynk-funded internship, I expected to spend my summer running statistical analyses and staring at brain images. Instead, my experience in the Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders Laboratory at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts allowed me to understand why we conduct such difficult and complicated research. While at McLean Hospital, I developed and executed a research project on the link between brain activity and sleep disturbances in people with PTSD. While I found interesting results regarding intrusive memories in nightmares and connectivity between two brain regions (the amygdala and hippocampus), I learned much more than just scientific techniques and brain activity patterns. My presentation will discuss not only my results and interpretation of my findings but also the insight I gained into the motivation behind this line of work: to improve treatments for people with PTSD and to understand the human condition on a deeper level.

Michela Rawson ’24
Major: Psychology
Minor: Philosophy

Individual Differences in Affective Reactivity and Cognitive Performance

In my presentation, I will discuss my experience working as a research assistant in the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Lab at Northeastern University this past summer. I worked on a study that investigated individual differences in affective reactivity and cognitive performance. Working with participants on a daily basis and administering psychophysiological measurements, as well as cognitive and behavioral tasks, helped me to refine my skills in professional communication and leadership. The study involved both ambulatory and in-lab psychophysiological monitoring, focusing on behavioral and emotional reports from participants in naturalistic and laboratory settings. This variety in methods of data collection allowed me to gain valuable experience that will be beneficial if I decide to pursue a career in mental health research. I found that studying the way biology relates to emotion was an interesting and rewarding way to gain a better understanding of wellness.

Natalie Strayton ’25
Major: Psychology
Minor: Statistics

Emotions, Health, and Psychophysiology

This summer, I served as an intern at The University of California San Francisco’s Emotion, Health, and Psychophysiology Lab, researching how emotions and stress responses show up in the body through physiological processes, and how social experiences can have profound effects on people’s health. I served in many different roles: I walked participants through lab visits, monitored physiological signals, and acted as other participants or professionals to examine social processes. I also gained experience with physiological data processing, behavioral coding, administrative tasks, and learned about the various research methods employed to study emotions. There was also a tremendous amount of mentorship offered, and I developed strong connections with researchers in the field of social psychology. The rich experience and networking opportunities offered in this internship were invaluable in jump starting my career, and I look forward to sharing my experience with you!

Olive Rowell ’24
Major: Art Studio and Politics double major
Nexus: in Law, Public Policy, Human Rights

Community Organizing, Climate Justice, and Food Sovereignty at Sixth Street Community Center

Throughout my time working with Sixth Street Community Center (SSCC), I was given the opportunity to explore and take part in their many organizing efforts and ways of collaborating with the NYC Lower East Side community and beyond. One of the many aspects of SSCC that first drew me in, was their focus on climate justice, food sovereignty, and many forms of organizing, specifically with youth. In my presentation I will share my experience with co-facilitating the youth program, planning and designing programming, collaborating with outside organizations, supporting the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, and creating connections within this wonderful community. If you are interested in non-profit work, community organizing, mutual aid, or social justice, I would love to share some of the things I have learned from this experience with you!