School Psychology

Umara Hansen

Umara Hansen (she/her) is a third-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at UC Berkeley. She graduated with the highest honors, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Ottawa, where she earned a B.Sc. in Psychology and conducted research on the impact of stress on well-being using fMRI measures. Before graduate school, Umara served as Outreach Lead for Anxiety Canada and worked as a research assistant in labs across Canada and the United States, including the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Lab at the University of British Columbia and the Stress and Development Lab at...

Jin Hyung Lim

Jin Hyung Lim is a PhD candidate in the School Psychology Program at the University of California, Berkeley School of Education. Jin Hyung’s research focuses on identifying risk and resilience factors that support the well-being of school members (e.g., students, families, teachers, and school leaders), especially those from minoritized backgrounds. More specifically, he is interested in social and emotional learning (SEL) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) as resources and systems that foster resilience among school members. Through his work, he seeks to advance SEL and MTSS...

Kyla Kemble

Kyla Kemble (she/her) is a fourth year PhD student in the school psychology program at the Berkeley School of Education, under the advisement of Dr. Frank C. Worrell. A New Jersey native, she received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology Honors at Seton Hall University in 2021.

Broadly, Kyla’s current research focuses on establishing and maintaining culturally responsive practices in classrooms, consultation and collaboration with teachers, and implicit biases in education. Additionally, she has a special interest in multiracial youth and enjoys thinking about...

Ilke Bayazitli

Ilke Bayazitli is a doctoral student in the School Psychology program at UC Berkeley. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Boğaziçi University in 2021. She then received her master's degree in Psychological Science with a concentration in Social, Personality, and Affective Science from San Francisco State University in 2023. She has been involved in research on the psychosocial factors that are associated with the well-being of adolescents, including discrimination based on different identities, educational experiences, time perspective, and substance use.


Ilke'...

Mark Pommer

Mark Pommer is a doctoral candidate in the UC Berkeley School Psychology program. Mark received his EdS in school psychology from Columbia University. His current research is dedicated to translating psychological research findings into applied school and clinical psychology practice.

Mark is also involved in research that utilizes a risk and resiliency framework to study the psychology of hope, the neuropsychology of ADHD, the function of play in human development, international school psychology, and assistive technology research and design.

Mark’s return to...

Emely Lugo

Emely N. Lugo (she/ella) is a second-year doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at UC Berkeley's School of Education (BSE).


Before joining BSE, Emely pursued her studies in Psychology and Child Development at California State University, San Bernardino. Her research investigated the efficacy of computerized cognitive training in supporting the development of critical cognitive functions such as working memory, cognitive flexibility, and processing speed, which are vital for academic success. She also explored the role of motivation in the...

Jennie Greenstein

Jennie Greenstein is a 5th year PhD candidate in the School Psychology Program in the Berkeley School of Education. She is currently completing her full-time doctoral internship at the Colorado School Psychology Internship Consortium in Denver, CO. Jennie’s dissertation is titled Coordination of Services Teams: A Bridge for Siloed School-Based Mental Health Supports.

Specializations and Interests

Social-Emotional Learning; School-Based Mental Health

Julissa Navas

Julissa is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at UC Berkeley. She was born and raised in Southern California to two hard-working immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador. Julissa completed her undergraduate studies at UC Irvine and graduated with honors with a BA in Psychology and Education Sciences. She later received her MA in Education at UC Berkeley.


Her graduate research broadly examines some of the psychosocial factors linked to students’ academic achievement, including academic self-concept, motivation, expectations, interpersonal relationships,...

Quennie Dong

Quennie Dong is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Berkeley. Quennie graduated from UC Irvine with a B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior and a minor in Education. She then attended Florida International University and received her Ed.S. in School Psychology. Quennie’s current research interests focus on inclusive socioecological systems of support for educational leaders, teachers, and youth. Her research focuses on empowering the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community, critically examining how cultural and...

Joshua Sussman

Joshua Sussman is a researcher at the Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research (BEAR) Center where he uses data-driven approaches to improve educational assessment, policy, and practice. He uses generalized latent variable modeling and hierarchical modeling in quantitative studies that aim to translate basic knoweldge about children's learning and development into recommendations for more effective and more just systems of early childhood education.

Interests and...