Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology at UC Riverside
Psi Chi at UCR
Mentorship Program
This is a free and virtual/remote program in which current official members will be connected with Psi Chi Alumni. As a mentee, you would be guided by your mentor(s) through different paths: preparing for graduate school, researching undergraduate opportunities (on/off campus), and/or post-bachelor careers/opportunities.
Winter applications are due by Friday, December 9th, 11:59pm PT. If you missed the deadline to apply, do not worry! Our applications open each quarter.
Program Requirements: Select a pathway, engage in our Linkedln group, commit 3-4 hours per month by attending socials/workshops, and maintain active communication with mentor/mentee
Three Program Pathways (shown on the left)
Meet Our Co-Facilitators!
For any questions, feel free to email us at: ucrpsichimentorship@ucr.edu
Raelin Martin
Raelin is a 4th year psychology student pursuing a career as a therapist. She plans to receive her Master’s in Family and Marriage Therapy since her clinical interests include family systems, personal growth, couples counseling, and relationships. Her extracurriculars include being the secretary for Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society, a mentor for the Mentor Collective, an intern for Life Source Affordable Counseling Center, and a research assistant for the Positivity & Well-Being Lab here at UCR. In her spare time, Raelin loves to spend time with her family and friends, listen to podcasts, do puzzles, and go out dancing.
Aditi Bhat
More information coming soon!
Meet Our Mentors!
Health Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social Psychology
Monica Beals is a fourth and final year Ph.D. candidate in social/personality psychology at the University of California, Riverside. She earned her master’s degree in Health Psychology at Northern Arizona University and her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Arizona. Recently, her research has focused on non-pharmacological management strategies for chronic pain. More specifically, her dissertation is exploring flow as a possible coping strategy for chronic pain under the direction of Dr. Kate Sweeny. However, she is most passionate about teaching and mentoring and plans to focus on these two aspects of academia in her career. She enjoys mentoring students through the Psi Chi Mentorship Program and is specialized in all topics related to graduate school along with self-care and well-being. Feel free to reach out with questions anytime!
Counseling Psychology
Neha graduated from UCR in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology. During her time at UCR, she was a Research Assistant in the Life Events Lab as well as the Personality and Identity Lab. Her experience with research was so valuable, she later joined Kaiser Permanente as a Senior Research Assistant for the CARDIA study, a 35-year longitudinal cardiovascular study. Alongside work, she is also a Counseling Psychology graduate student at Santa Clara University. She is in her second year of a projected three-year program to obtain a Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license. While working and being a student, I also volunteer as a Crisis Counselor for the Crisis Text Line. Through this volunteer position, she learned her passion for crisis work and sought to become involved with more specific crisis counseling. She will soon be starting as a Healthline Counselor for Exhale Pro-Voice, a textline for those seeking support about an abortion experience.
In her free time, she loves going for walks, painting, singing, playing piano, exploring the Bay Area with friends and, rewatching her comfort show, New Girl.
Educational Psychology
David Ifediba graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2020. This is where his passion as a change agent in the field of school psychology and advocate for African American youth emerged. Following graduation, he worked as a substitute teacher in Los Angeles and intern for the USA STEM Academy. David is currently pursuing his Education Specialist degree in School Psychology at the California State University, Long Beach. He aspires to pursue a doctorate degree and yearns to create educational interventions that bridge the gap between public and private school education among minority populations. He is currently working on a thesis regarding the risk and resilience of African American students and how discrimination affects their educational outcomes. Typically, he is either hustling as a real estate agent or in the gym playing basketball. He also enjoys hikes and power lifting.
Higher Education
Joanna started working at College of the Canyons in July 2016 as the Student Services Coordinator for the Office of Campus Life and Student Engagement. She had the pleasure of managing the Campus Life and Student Engagement Office at College of the Canyons as well as working as an advisor for the Associated Student Government (ASG). She was born in England and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, where she earned her Bachelor of the Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California-Riverside. Immediately after, she earned her Masters of Social Work degree in Community, Organization, Planning and Administration from the University of California. In her spare time, she loves to hike, spend time with friends/ family and travel to new places!
Cognitive, Perception, Health, Marketing
Pooja Kylasa recently graduated from UCR (June 2022) a year early, obtaining a BS in Psychology. She worked as a research assistant in the Riverside Audiovisual Speech and Audition Laboratory, TEACH Laboratory, UCR Brain Game Center and Social and Cognitive Process Laboratory. Her past and current Psi Chi Honor Society involvement includes the following: 4th Annual Psychology & Neuroscience Undergraduate Conference (R’PSYC) within the Advertising Committee, Camp Counselor for the Psychology Winter Camp (2021-2022) and Mentor for the Psi Chi Mentorship Program (2022-2023). Outside of research, she held various positions for clubs and organizations such as President, Marketing Director/Social Media Coordinator for Chess Club at UCR and the current Chair of Women's Chess for the SCCF. Currently, she is a WPA Student Council Representative (2022-2023). Aside from psychological research, she enjoys singing, performing, marketing, playing chess, making jewelry, and abstract nail art. Over the past year, Pooja has received several nominations, awards for her music and will continue to pursue her passions for the arts and sciences.
Marriage and Family Therapy
Reba is a UCR Alumni, Class of 2008. She owns and operates a Therapy Group Practice in Riverside called Raincross Family Counseling, Inc. She is a CAMFT Certified Clinical Supervisor for Marriage and Family Therapist Trainees and Associates. She provides Trauma Therapy and EMDR Therapy for the Riverside Community through my Group Practice. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at California Baptist University in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
"'Been happily married for 12 years with 3 kids. We are very involved in our church community in Riverside, volunteering in the Soul Care and Marriage and Family Ministries. I am very happy to serve my Riverside and UCR community and have made Riverside my home after my UCR days."
Sarah Sawaf
DSW, MSW, LCSW | Mental health promotion, stigma reduction, well-being, self-care
Dr. Sarah Sawaf is a proud UCR and Psi Chi alum working as the Outreach Coordinator for the Counseling and Psychological Services department on campus. She obtained her BA in psychology from UCR, MSW from USC, and DSW from CBU. She is passionate about mental health promotion, stigma reduction, and educating the campus community about mental health and CAPS services. If you ever see her around campus, feel free to say hi!