THHP Student Aziz Sohail Abdul's Internship with the New York State Assembly

THHP student Aziz Abdul Sohail (a Biological Sciences major and Sociology minor) has started interning as a Legislative Intern with the New York State Assembly. The internship started in September 2024 and will continue until January 2025. He is working at the office of Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs. 

In his position as Legislative Intern, Aziz Abdul has assisted local constituents with various tasks, from translating and reading documents to more involved responsibilities such as completing essential paperwork. He has also participated in local events and met community leaders. For example, he accompanied the Assemblymember's team to the construction site of the National Black Theater, where he met Sade Lythcott (the CEO of the theater) and got to learn about the theater's history and cultural impact. He has also has accompanied the team to The Doe Fund, a supportive housing initiative. In addition, he has attended a press conference held by the Young Democrats, where he was introduced to prominent Democratic politicians, including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, members of the New York City Council, Assemblymembers and State Senators, and Representative Jerry Nadler. He also accompanied Assemblymember Gibbs when Governor Kathy Hochul visited Harlem. 

Aziz, who aims to pursue a career in healthcare, also works as a peer tutor for General Chemistry II and shadows Dr. Richard Rosen DDS, a dentist, on Fridays. We congratulate Aziz Abdul on his achievements and wish him success in his future endeavors.

THHP Student Alyssa Smith's Recent Achievements

THHP student Alyssa Smith will be participating in the New York Law School Summer Pipeline Program throughout June 2024. This program is designed to prepare and support aspiring law students from diverse backgrounds. It offers a comprehensive introduction to the legal profession, including workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities with legal professionals. Participants gain valuable insights into law school admissions, academic success strategies, and career pathways in law. 

In addition, Alyssa will be an HR intern from June to August, immersing herself in the various functions of human resources, gaining hands-on experience in a real-world corporate environment. During this internship, she hopes to learn about employee recruitment processes, staff onboarding, benefits administration, and compliance with labor laws. She will also assist in developing training programs and contribute to employee relations initiatives. This experience will be crucial in understanding the HR lifecycle and the importance of fostering a positive work culture. "Through this role," Alyssa wrote to us, "I aim to develop my communication, organizational, and strategic planning skills, which are essential for a successful career in human resources."

We congratulate Alyssa on the summer program and internship and wish her continued success in her endeavors. 

THHP Graduate Elizabeth Katanov's Latest Achievements

Elizabeth Katanov, who has just graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hunter, has been accepted into multiple MD programs and will start attending SUNY Downstate Medical School from the fall.

In addition, Elizabeth has been awarded the Else Seringhaus Award for Excellence in Research in Biological Sciences & Honors in Biological Sciences. The award was based on the research she conducted at the Shuman Lab at the Friedman Brain Institute at Mount Sinai. From February 2022, she worked on a neuroscience project studying neural networks that might be implicated in temporal lobe epilepsy. She attended the Society for Neuroscience Conference in San Diego in November 2022 and presented a poster about her research at the Friedman Brain Institute Neuroscience Retreat. She also attended the Hunter’s Undergraduate Student Research Conference in 2023.

We congratulate Elizabeth and wish her the best for her future endeavors.

THHP Student Juliet Weschke's Recent Achievements

We congratulate THHP student Juliet Weschke (majoring in Clinical Psychology) on winning the the Gerry Turkewitz Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to students at Hunter College who have demonstrated academic excellence and are committed to pursuing a PhD in Psychology. The students who are awarded the scholarship are expected to actively engage in research that contributes to the understanding of developmental processes and adaptive behaviors.

Juliet has also won the Livingston Welch Service Award. This award recognizes outstanding service to the Psychology Department at Hunter College. Recipients are selected based on their significant contributions to departmental activities, including organizing events and participating in initiatives that enhance the educational environment. The award highlights students who have excelled academically and shown a strong commitment to the psychology community​.

Juliet has also received Distinction and Honors in Psychology, awarded to students who have completed an honors project, demonstrating advanced understanding and research capabilities in Psychology.

In addition, Juliet will be interning as a Research Assistant at two prestigious labs at Yale University in the summer. In the Social Cognitive Development Lab under Dr. Yarrow Dunham, she will investigate how reputational concerns influence children's punishment behaviors. Her responsibilities will include designing studies using Qualtrics, conducting literature reviews, collecting and coding data, and performing data analysis to better understand children's social cognitive development. Concurrently, she will work in the Computational Social Cognition Lab with Dr. Julian Jara-Ettinger. She will focus on children's theory of mind, particularly their understanding of mental state changes and the relationship between seeing and knowing. Her tasks will involve designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and studying the cognitive processes underlying children's social interactions.

We congratulate Juliet again and wish her the best for her future endeavors. 

THHP Student Justin Miranda Paz's Internship with the American Museum of Natural History

THHP student Justin Miranda Paz interned with the MEEP (Museum Education Experience Program) at the American Museum of Natural History, from January 18th, 2024 to May 4, 2024.

Justin's responsibilities included facilitating enriching, educational conversations with museum visitors in a variety of assigned halls, including the collection core. The work entailed open ended questions from both interns and visitors regarding an exhibit or hall, or theme in general, to better understand the subject material while acknowledging the visitors’ presence at the museum. This was done through exploring personal connections with the exhibit, such as whether they’ve studied archaeology, seen a cool crystal in Central Park’s caverns, or was a professor or teacher at a school.

The interns, including Justin, were involved in public outreach activities, known as Discovery Day, held for families and children on Saturdays who are mostly from underserved communities, such as NYCHA communities. The tables that the interns set up were based around dinosaur fossils, live insects and reptiles, coloring and sketching activities for kids, games, and even experiments tried out by us interns to convey a scientific lesson.

Justin, who is multilingual, used his language skills in Spanish, French, and basic Italian to talk to as many people as possible.

We congratulate Justin on successfully completing the internship and wish him the best for his future endeavors. 

THHP Student Amanda Frey's Acceptance Into an Internship Program

We would like to congratulate Amanda Frey on being accepted into an internship program with the Center for Canine Behavior Studies as a Research Assistant. As part of the internship, Amanda will be assisting in designing a research project mostly based on surveying dog owners about a variety of canine behaviors and running data. She hopes to eventually co-author a journal article with the findings.

Amanda hopes to go on for a PhD in anthrozoology. We wish her the best for her future endeavors.

THHP Student Ariana Rivera's Latest Achievements

THHP student Ariana Rivera (Classical Archaeology major with a minor in Psychology) has recently been awarded the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and has also been accepted into the Bluhm Scholars Program.

As a Mellon Mays Fellow, Ariana is planning to conduct research on mid to late classical period iconography in Ancient Greek art. The program will prepare Ariana to apply for PhD programs.

The Bluhm Scholars Program is a program that is awarded by the Department of Classical and Oriental Studies. As part of the program, Ariana will be attending cultural events throughout the semester. The accepted scholars will also be going on a trip to Greece in the winter.

We congratulate Ariana on her stellar achievements.