Undergraduate students

Hello! My name is Wennan (Avivi) Li, Class of 2026 at Wesleyan University, double majoring in Psychology and Theater. I am working with Professor Rodriguez Mosquera on research exploring cultural beliefs of emotions among youth, as well as examining the fear of envy from the perspective of an envied other. My research interests include culture, emotion, decision-making, and how these aspects intersect with social dynamics and individual experiences. Additionally, I am eager to explore how psychological concepts impact people’s behavior and emotional expression on social media, as well as their broader commercial influence.

Hi, My name is Jared Levine. I graduated from Wesleyan in 2021 and majored in Psychology. I loved my work as a student member of Professor Rodriguez Mosquera’s Culture, Emotion, and Social Image lab. My main project in the lab was my senior thesis titled,“The Connection Between Creating Art and Reducing Negative Emotions: The Case for Drop-In Art Centers on College Campuses.“ I am now in my second year of a clinical psychology PsyD program at Roosevelt University in Chicago. As part of the program, I am an intern at a community mental health site for individuals struggling with housing insecurity, where I provide psychotherapy to clients facing substance use issues, mood disorders, traumatic experiences, psychotic disorders, and challenges related to residential stability. My psychology classes at Wesleyan and my work in Professor Rodriguez Mosquera’s lab sparked my desire to pursue a career as a therapist.

Hello! My name is Sophia Antonio and I am from Chicago, IL. I was a Psychology and Sociology double major interested in research in social psychology. In the lab, I enjoyed working on two studies that examined the relationships between gender, culture, and honor.

Hi! I’m Maya! I majored in Psychology and Neuroscience & Behavior, with a minor in Film Studies. In the lab, I studied how gendered honor codes manifest themselves at Wesleyan in the context of a progressive political climate. I am interested in the intersection between politics, culture, and psychology. Outside of the classroom, I was involved in frisbee, dance, theater, and fire spinning.

Hi there! I’m Tatum, class of 2018, psychology and classics major. I studied abroad in Athens in the fall semester of my junior year. My research interests include emotions, social image, and self-esteem, which I will hopefully get to pursue further in graduate school. Aside from academics, I was one of the captains of Wes’ Varsity Women’s Squash teams, and work for Bob in the equipment room. I also play tennis and really enjoy eating and traveling.

At Wesleyan, I was a Psychology and History double major from New York City. I am interested in culture and the effects it has on emotions, race relations, and everyday interactions. I am also interested in the role that psychology plays in legal proceedings—ranging from accessing the accuracy of eyewitness testimonies, to analyzing whether someone is psychologically fit to stand trial.

At Wesleyan, I was an English and Psychology double major from New Delhi, India. In the lab, I performed research on culture and its impact on the experience of emotions. In my free time I love reading, traveling, spending time around nature and watching psych thrillers and documentaries!

Hi, I’m from Seoul, Korea, and I studied Psychology and East Asian Studies at Wesleyan. My primary interest in psychology is moral decision making (how people make moral decisions), and moral emotions like guilt or shame. In the Culture and Emotion lab, I explored my interests by collaborating with Professor Rodriguez Mosquera on studies about morality-based honor, violations of the academic honor code, and resulting emotional appraisals. I greatly enjoyed doing psychology research with Professor Rodriguez Mosquera during my time at Wes! In my spare time, I love to cook new recipes. I’m a dog person, and I like rain and snow 🙂

At Wesleyan, I was a psychology and biology double major from Hong Kong. I am interested in understanding the intersections between biology and psychology, especially the processes involved in the development of emotions and how they tie into different cultures. As a research assistant in the lab, I studied feminine honor in Latino/a American and European American cultures and the potential consequences of a violation of the feminine honor code in the workplace.

I was an English and Psychology double major, class of 2017, and am from the San Francisco Bay Area. My research interests include cross-cultural differences in emotions, as well as how the individual experience of negative emotions (sadness, grief, humiliation) affects an individual’s place within an in-group. Future interests in psychology include clinical psychology and trauma-related counseling, as well as working with children and young adults. In my free time I enjoy spending time outdoors, reading, swimming and running, baking and spending time with my family.

At Wesleyan, I was a Government and Economics double major from China. Although psychology was neither my major nor my future career, I enjoyed working in psychology labs as a means of understanding human behavior and developing research skills. I am interested in emotions, romantic relationships, cross-culture interactions, and behavior economics.

I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I studied Psychology and English at Wesleyan. I am interested in gender, trauma, emotion, literature, creative nonfiction, and working to end the stigma faced by people with mental illness.

I was a Film Studies and Psychology double major, class of 2016, from the Boston Area. I am interested in gender, culture, and emotions, as well as PTSD, schizophrenia, and depersonalization disorder. I spent most of my free time at Wes working on student film sets, and in the long run hope to apply my interest in social and cultural psychology to my work in the film industry, in particular advocating for underrepresented groups to be in front of and behind the camera.

Hi, everyone! My name is Sam and I majored in psychology and art at Wesleyan. A Taiwanese American hailing from the llama-lands of Lima Peru, I am passionate about anything related to Buddhism and design. My research interests include social psychology, culture, and emotion. On campus, you could have found me mending books in Olin, working on my art thesis, cooking tofu, and listening to Ne-Yo.

At Wesleyan, I was a psychology major from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am interested in developmental and cultural psychology and how the two fields intersect with emotion in psychology. Outside of the lab, I tutored in the writing workshop, coordinated a student-run support group, and volunteered at a local preschool.

I hail from New Jersey and studied abroad in Amsterdam in the Spring of 2014. My particular interests lie in status and how group-based emotions principles apply to international relations–specifically to national identity, decision-making, and strategic cultures.

In the future, I am looking to work with either children or veterans, specifically in regards to mental illness. While I was studying at Wesleyan, I volunteered at a therapeutic preschool and an occupational therapy center for children. I enjoy playing musical instruments and have been an avid orchestra-member since sixth grade. In my spare time I love to bake, bike, go to the beach, spend time with my family, and play with my wonderful dog, Jake.

My name is Rachel Pradilla. I’m from Brooklyn, New York and Norfolk, Connecticut. As a psychology major, my interests focused on the development of mood disorders and how this development varies cross-culturally. I love crime shows and psychological thrillers. I always am looking for new recommendations!

I am from Honolulu, Hawaii. I sing opera, belly dance, and love attending music festivals. At Wesleyan, my interests focused on Korean and Japanese societies and the variance in subjective experiences of emotion across cultures. More broadly, my research interests include humiliation and psychophysiology with applications to clinical psychology. I wrote a B.A. thesis on the role of power and humiliation in the dissolution of close relationships.

I am interested in work and research that connects human behavior, health, and the environment. While at Wesleyan, I worked on research regarding real and perceived social image among friends. I currently work in environmental policy at the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), a non-profit organization in Boston which works to ensure that manufacturers share responsibility for reducing the health and environmental impacts of the products they produce. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, running, traveling, and generally getting to know Boston.

My general interests include the psychology of citizenship, the sociology of power structures, international relations, facilitating, dialogue, and freedom and agency. I also play a lot of pickup basketball and enjoy hiking, biking, and being outside. In the lab I worked on research projects about family honor, self-image, and social image.

I am from Chicago and my interests include social entrepreneurship, stargazing and photography. My research interests include feminine honor among South Asian women and devaluation among ethnic minorities and Muslim Americans. My B.A. thesis focused on Muslim Americans’ emotional responses to societal events important to one’s in-group.

I like to play a variety of different sports and spend time with my adorable Pomeranian, Munkee. I hope to continue my education in behavioral therapy. Research projects I worked on while at Wesleyan include self-image and social image.

In the lab, I worked on research projects focused on shame and social relations, examining which cultures experienced and perceived shame more intensely at the individual and group level. I am working at Deloitte Consulting.

My research interests include gender, culture, emotions, and more specifically, how one’s culture and gender affect one’s emotional experiences. While at Wesleyan, I worked on projects relating to sexism, gender, and trans identities. Currently I am living in Brooklyn, working at a coffee shop, cooking yummy foods and reading books.

My research interests include culture and emotion research! Which is perfect because I worked in the culture and emotion lab. Otherwise, I like reading, traveling and spending time with friends, and exploring NYC! I worked on feminine honor while at Wesleyan. Whoo hoo!

In the lab, I worked on studies focused on emotions and values, and devaluation and emotional expression. I also had the honor of completing a senior honors thesis under Patricia’s supervision. My thesis focused on discrimination experiences’ effects on mental health outcomes, emotional responses, and coping mechanisms among Latina/os. I am interested in working with children, clinical psychology, access to healthcare and education, and international travel. I am a graduate student in child clinical psychology at the University of Washington.

Undergraduate students

Wennan (Avivi) Li

Jared Levine

Sophia Antonio

Maya Dorn

Tatum Leclair

Jhanelle Thomas

Shreya Bahl

Yvette Yun

Maxine Lai

Sarah Corner

Emma Wang

Ella Weiser

Anna Cocuzzo

Samantha Ho

Jordy Martino

Zach Dravis

Alissa Myer

Rachel Pradilla

Heather Miura

Sydney Hausman-Cohen

Gabriel Rossman

Tasmiah Khan

Chelsea Aiken

Matthew Engel

Katie DiBona

Shipra Panicker

Leah Lucid