School Psychology: Interns

Meet our current interns.

Berkeley Psychology Internship Consortium (B-PIC) interns work in one of three school districts. Each district has the same commitment to the same training goals and to provide comprehensive clinical experiences for the interns. Interns are encouraged to seek out training opportunities that align with their interests, special skills, and unique backgrounds. They work with clients ranging in age from preschool through adulthood and across different levels of schooling. Each intern has a primary supervisor who is also an employee of the school district. Interns also receive group supervision from B-PIC Training Committee members.

Shari Aronson

Shari Aronson is a fifth-year student and doctoral candidate in UC Berkeley’s school psychology program. This year, Shari will be a school psychology intern in San Francisco Unified School District. Currently, her research interests focus primarily on neurodevelopmental and learning-related conditions, the experience of girls and women with ADHD, and mental health stigma reduction. She aims to bridge the research-to-practice gap in psychology through a career in which she will engage in clinical work and disseminate information in an accessible and comprehensible manner. In her free time, Shari enjoys exploring new places, practicing yoga, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Derek Tyler Holiday

Derek Tyler Holiday is a fifth year school psychology doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. derek is currently an intern at the San Francisco Unified School District site. derek is a former special education teacher who entered the field of school psychology in order to provide essential social-emotional support to students in schools. derek’s research interests include treating youth suicidality, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), family resilience, and caregiver burnout. In their free time, derek enjoys cycling, hiking, swimming, rewatching the marvel cinematic universe, and rolling in the grass with their dog.

Xueqin Lin

Xueqin Lin (she/her/hers)  is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the UC Berkeley School of Education and currently an intern at Piedmont Unified School District. Xueqin’s research is focused on understanding the relationship between school contextual factors and students and educators’ mental well-being. Her dissertation is focused on exploring school-family partnership in promoting students’ social and emotional learning. When Xueqin is not working or studying, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She loves singing and spending time outdoors.

Sarah Manchanda

Sarah Manchanda (she/her/hers)  is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the UC Berkeley School of Education and currently an intern at Piedmont Unified School District. Sarah’s research, professional, and personal interests center on a broad goal of increasing access to inclusive and healthy academic spaces for individuals with disabilities. She studies the bullying and related mental health experiences of youth with disabilities, and is passionate about finding interventions to support positive psychosocial outcomes for youth with disabilities. Professionally, Sarah has five years of experience as a special education teacher in India and the United States, and she is currently working with the GSI Teaching and Resource Center to support graduate student instructors at UC Berkeley in making sense of and implementing Universal Design for Learning. In her free time, Sarah loves connecting with friends and family, doing yoga, swimming and spending time at the beach, experimenting with new recipes, and drawing.