Britney Pierre

Former Research Assistant, she/her/hers

Hello everyone! My name is Britney Pierre (she/her) and I am a recent graduate from UF. I was a part of the collective for two years. My time with the lab is something I will cherish and carry with me throughout my future endeavors. Since graduating I have started two new jobs. The first is with a nonprofit organization called Women in Distress of Broward. I am a Teen Dating Violence Specialist. This job has been very rewarding and involves a lot of creativity. I hope that through the education of our community, domestic violence can be eradicated. My second job is as a Support Coordinator with the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. I am essentially a “middleman” for people with disabilities seeking government services and aid. I hope to still pursue my interests in medicine and the arts.

Amanda Smock

Former research assistant, she/her/hers

Hello, my name is Amanda Smock (she/her) and I am a graduate from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Women's Studies. Since graduating, I have begun working in a research lab full-time. In my free time, I like to read, thrift, bake, etc. I am hoping to go onto graduate school to continue my studies. My research interests include trauma and the presence of mental illness in marginalized communities and how to make mental health services accessible to all. The ¡Chévere! lab has taught me not only how to be a better researcher, but a better activist as well. With the community outreach I was involved with during my time at ¡Chévere!, I learned about so many vital resources that could be used to better the conditions of marginalized communities and promote collective healing.

Caroline Acosta

former research assistant, she/her/hers

Hi! My name is Carolina Acosta, I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology with an emphasis on Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. I am on the pre-health track and I hope to get my Ph.D in Public Health. I love painting, skating, going to farmer’s markets, and having self-care nights. My research interests include serotonergic processes and their role in emotional memory, specifically with the amygdala. I am also interested in medical racism and the treatment of women of color, especially Black women within hospitals and the intersection of race, gender, class, and sexuality as forms of oppression. To me, collective healing means listening to marginalized communities and emphasizing their voices to work towards a better future. I am really excited to be a part of the Chèvere Lab!

Charlotte Justak

former research assistant, she/her/hers

Hello! My name is Charlotte Justak. I identify as a bisexual woman, and am a 2nd year student majoring in Math and Psychology with a focus on Behavioral Cognitive Neuroscience. When I’m not doing school, I spend a lot of time doing nature photography and power-lifting at the gym! I just transferred to UF in the Fall 2020 semester from the University of California-Berkeley, where I was also involved in promoting social justice and liberation for marginalized individuals. I am super excited to be a part of this lab, where I’ll get to help others and really make an impact on the field. My research interests are focused around the psychological well-being of people who identify with the LGBT+ community. I strongly believe that healing is about embracing who we are as individuals, while also being unafraid to rely on a community that supports us.

Maria Sobrino

Former research assistant, she/ella

Mucho gusto todxs, my name is María Sobrino (she/ella)! I am a queer Mexican American who studied Psychology and English at the University of Florida. My interest in social justice includes activism based upon healing and education, and I am heavily involved with research on mental illness, substance use disorders, ableism, stigma, and how these factors contribute to displacement and the prison industrial complex at the national and international level. When I'm not working or studying I can be found sitting outside, spray painting, laughing, or dancing with my cat-- Ziggy Stardust. I like to think that if I could sing I would be in an all-girl punk rock band, and I think no one should ever have to choose between cats and dogs. I'm excited to be a part of the Chévere collective because I believe that advocating for marginalized communities is absolutely essential to collective healing, which I define as empowering myself, my community, and other marginalized folks in order to address inequity, heal from trauma, encourage resilience, and build each other up.

Steeve Africain

Research Assistant, He/Him/His

Hi! My name is Steeve Africain; I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology with an emphasis on Behavioral Analysis. I am on the pre-pa track, and my goal is to become an Emergency Room Physician Assistant and get my Master's in Public Health. During my free time, I do enjoy cooking, cleaning, dancing, self-care, and Netflix. My research interests include health disparities in the African American community, health issues facing immigrant and low-income families, and LGBTQ+ sexual education in public schools. To me, collective healing is all about using your knowledge and ability to influence to make changes to promote better mental health and other forms of wellness for the public.

Taylor Rohleen

research assistant, she/her/hers

Hello! My name is Taylor Rohleen. I am a second-year student at the University of Florida, majoring in Psychology and Women’s Studies. My research interests pertain to sexuality studies and intersectionality. I am compelled by feminism, healing, and social justice, and I am ultimately interested in how our intersecting identities transform our experiences. I seek to practice the Decolonial Imaginary, Black feminism, and other liberation frameworks to elevate marginalized voices. Collective healing, to me, is a reclamation of our lived experiences. I am elated to be part of the Chévere Lab collective, uplifting and celebrating QTPOCI voices.

Yamina Chowdhury

Research Assistant, they/them/ও

Hello! My name is Yamina, and I’m a Bangladeshi-American Muslim studying Sociology and Women’s Studies at the University of Florida. My research interests lie primarily in the intersections of gender, faith, migration, and colonialism, and how these factors shape our communities. I am also passionate about fighting for social justice through means such as educating myself, consciousness raising, and striving toward collective healing and liberation in all aspects of my life. To me, collective healing means that dismantling the systems that traumatize and oppress us is a community effort, and that our healing processes are interconnected. Someday, I would like to take what I have learned in my chosen fields and apply it by promoting empathy as an elementary school teacher and advocating for families as an immigration attorney. In my free time, I like to make handmade earrings, play with my cats, and skate around Gainesville.

Caroline Dibble

Research Assistant, she/her/hers

Hey there! My name is Caroline Dibble. I’m currently a senior Psychology major with minors in Disabilities in Society and Women’s Studies. I enjoy spending quality time with friends, finding the best shows on Netflix, and playing with my dog back home. I am so excited to join the Chevere lab! I look forward to promoting healing and wellness using empathy and understanding. The research I’m interested in includes implicit biases and how they affect the environments of marginalized communities. To me, collective healing means using your own privilege to promote the mental health and wellness of others.Collective healing is so much bigger than myself as an individual, and I’m dedicated to making this world a better and more inclusive space.

Tyson Marlow

research assistant, he/him/his

Hi I’m Tyson Marlow (he/him/his) and I recently graduated from the University of Florida with my Bachelor’s in psychology! I am a biracial cis-het male, and I’m an avid cinephile, love listening to music, and greatly enjoy any and all sports! I’m very thankful and eager to be a part of the Chevere Lab, and I’m truly thrilled to work with the collective towards progress and social justice in all forms through healing and wellness. I am greatly invested in social justice in all facets, particularly through research, where my interests include exploring and understanding internalized oppression and it’s affects on marginalized communities, mental health counseling outcomes for marginalized folx and the importance of multicultural competency and representation amongst counseling practitioners, and the modern and implicit impact of colonization and imperialism on marginalized communities. Beyond research, I hope to become an active and vocal social justice activist and advocate through both community outreach and in my hopeful future career as a child psychologist, where I want to work with low-opportunity disadvantaged children in a counseling setting. To me, collective healing requires a group effort by communities and networks of people to uplift, support, and encourage all areas of health for the individuals in their congregation, as well as the collective whole through means of education, personal growth, practice, unconditional support, and a collective sense of justice for every individual regardless of background.

Natasha Mattevi

Research Assistant, she/her/hers

Hi! My name is Natasha Mattevi, I have many personal interests which include art, swimming, music, and reading! I love hanging out with my friends, particularly discovering new things and places with them, for fun. In terms of research, my interests are very broad, I enjoy everything from biology to personalized psychology research. Whatever the subject is, however,I want to conduct research that will help make the world a better place and aid others in living abetter/happier life. I especially want to help give a voice to those that may not feel like they have one and are underrepresented. One way to help lift others up in this way is through collective healing, which to me entails the development of a supportive, caring, and empowering community that helps one another learn, grow, and recover from life difficulties and traumas.

Winni Yang

Research Assistant, she/her/hers

My name is Winni Yang and I am a senior majoring in Behavioral Cognitive Neuroscience and minoring in Health Disparities in Society. My pronouns are she/her/hers and something I like to do for fun is sew and go thrifting. I am really excited to be a part of the Chevere Lab because it aligns with many of my research interests. These interests include working with marginalized identities and making academia more accessible to the communities we serve. I think it is crucial that we are building community based research projects so that we can use our work to benefit those whose voices are often silenced in the United States. Making academia more accessible, as well as counseling and therapy, is a really important goal to me because it allows people to understand the oppression they face and how they can heal from it. The Chevere Lab prioritizes collective healing, which to me, means providing affirming spaces for voices to be heard. It can be something as small as having a friend group where y'all can talk about your experiences as women or a larger community where y'all discuss the systematic oppression y'all face. Sometimes people can't make it to therapy due to financial and time constraints, but everyone can be a part of collective healing.

Elana Menendez

research assistant, She/Her/Hers

Hello! My name is Elana Menendez. I am currently a senior majoring in Psychology at the University of Florida. My pronouns are she/her/hers and I identify as Latinx. I enjoy watercolor painting, reading, cooking, and working out. I am very excited to be a part of the Chevere collective where I can contribute to research that works toward improving the lives of individuals who belong to marginalized communities. My research interests are broadly focused on advocating for LGBTQ+ and POCI communities, which includes exploring how implicit bias or stereotypes impact the mental health of LGBTQ+ and POCI communities. Collective healing to me means creating a community in which all individuals work together in order to break down stereotypes, inequalities, and injustice within the community.

Daryn Pearlstein

research assistant, she/her/hers

Hi everyone! My name is Daryn; I graduated from the University of Florida in 2021 with my bachelors in Psychology. Some of my hobbies include singing, playing guitar and piano, and baking, especially around the holidays for friends and family! I also have a dog, Leo, who I love to take to the dog park and on walks around Gainesville. My research interests lie in promoting mental health and well-being in marginalized communities, as well as bridging the gap to receiving mental health treatment, and I’m very excited and honored to be part of the Chévere Lab! Currently, I’m taking two gap years while remaining in the lab, working as Head Baker at Karma Cream, and deciding on grad school. My hope is to get a doctorate in Counseling Psychology and use my background in this line of research as well as my training in counseling psych to instill wellness practices in others! To me, collective healing means bridging the gap between all communities to heal emotionally, physically, spiritually, physiologically, and psychologically, such that we all can learn, grow, and empower one another.

Zoe DePecol

Research assistant, she/her/hers

Hello! My name is Zoe and I am a senior studying psychology here at the University of Florida. I am so excited to be involved with the Chévere lab and am very interested in working with minority communities. I am currently studying for the LSAT and plan on taking a "gap year" where I hope to expand my research with the Chévere lab. After completing law school , I hope to use my knowledge of research and my knowledge of the law to create change for the marginalized communities in the United States. Along with my strong passions for my career, I do have other hobbies as well! I enjoy running outside, going to the beach, outside yoga, and dancing. Being active and taking care of my body is a huge part of my physiological and spiritual well-being!

Jules Scales

research assistant, they/them/theirs

Hi! My name is Jules, and I am currently taking a few years in between undergraduate and graduate school to gain life experience. I identify as a disabled nonbinary individual, and use they/them pronouns. My research interests lie in the intersectionality of disabled, racial, and queer identities and how that can impact personal wellness. I am also interested in improving quality of education for individuals with disabilities, and to raise awareness for neurodivergence. I am a firm believer that mental health counseling can help people, and want to increase access to populations that typically cannot afford mental health resources. To me, collective healing occurs when a community is able to find support with one another and have the ability to have healthy and open conversations about mental health and wellness.