Meet the Lab

   Laura Huicoy 
   Graduate Research Assistant

Laura Huicoy is a second-year M.S. student. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, Los Angeles with a B.A. in Psychology in 2020. Currently, she is enrolled in the M.S. Forensic Psychology Program and is interested in pursuing a research career. Her academic interests are focused on the application of psychology in the criminal justice system and her ultimate goal is to pursue a doctoral degree in Psychology.  

Teresa Virgen   
Graduate Research Assistant

Teresa Virgen originally transferred from East Los Angeles College, where she aided in the effort to recruit potential Chemical Dependency Counsellors as President of the Psychology Club, in 2019. In 2021, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with the honor distinction of Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Los Angeles. She is currently a second-year graduate student in the MS Forensic Psychology program and aspires to be a renowned researcher. Her research interests include rehabilitation, reintegration, and recidivism within the criminal justice system.

Faith Haile is a first-year M.S. student who graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Fresno. In her time at CSU Fresno, she was accepted into the Psychology Department's Honors Program. This gave her the opportunity to conduct research, write a thesis, and present a poster at the WPA conference in 2022 as an undergraduate student. The study examined the role of sleep quality, stress, and memory in students' academic performance. Her current research interests include eyewitness testimonies, false memories, suggestibility, and the misinformation effect. After receiving her master's, she hopes to pursue a career in psychology and law.

Krystal Wilbert is a first-year M.S. student originally from Ontario, California. In June 2022, Krystal graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences and a B.A. in Anthropology with an emphasis in biology. She was awarded with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bridges to the Doctorate fellowship as a part of the MORE Programs here at Cal State LA. Her research interests include emotion regulation, rehabilitation, and recidivism in at-risk and incarcerated young adults. Krystal hopes to continue her research career and wishes to pursue a PhD following her Master’s.

In Spring 2022, Aundia Dianat graduated Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Long Beach with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in Forensic Studies. After being awarded Leader of the Year with Gold Distinction and serving as the Psi Chi President at CSULB, she continued to concentrate her studies at Ca State LA’s M.S. Forensic Psychology program. As a first-year graduate student, Aundia’s research interests include juror decision making, eyewitness reliability, and suggestibility tactics. She hopes to further her education and expertise by pursuing a doctoral degree in Psychology and Law.

Jayla Edwards 
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Jayla Edwards is a senior undergraduate student at Cal State LA majoring in Psychology. She is currently interning at Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center- an Adult Residential Care Facility. She was awarded with the National Institues of Health (NIH) MBRS-RISE Undergraduate fellowship with the MORE Programs at Cal State LA. She has the goal of obtaining her doctoral degree to pursue a career in research with current interests in suggestibility, eyewitness memory, and institutionalization.

 Monique Swaby

Monique is a former graduate student originally from Toronto, Ontario. In December 2019, Monique graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Psychology and a Minor in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University. She was awarded with the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) fellowship as a part of the MORE Program here at Cal State LA. Her areas of interest include juror decision making, risk assessment, and eyewitness memory. Her thesis is titled, "Differences in Racial Identity Predict Same-Race Leniency in Mock Jurors". While in the Forensic Psychology M.S. program, Monique interned for a clinical psychologist, reviewing client records and completing mental health diversion reports for justice-involved individuals. In Spring 2022, Monique was awarded the 1st Overall Oral Presentation Award at the 30th Annual Student Symposium here at Cal State LA. After getting her master's, Monique will begin her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Southern Illinois University under the supervision of Dr. Robert Morgan. She ultimately hopes to conduct assessments on those involved in the legal system and decrease racial disparities in mental health. Monique is currently in the clinical doctoral program at Southern Illinois University. 

Rebecca Ying is a former graduate student from Huntington Beach, California. In 2016, she graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in Basic Business from California State University, Los Angeles, as a member of both the Honors College and the Early Entrance Program. She joined the Forensic Psychology Lab as a third-year undergraduate. For her senior thesis, she focused on how assessing if imagining both simple and complex events may lead to false memories of those events. During her graduate years, she interned at Decision Analsyis, Inc., a litigation strategy firm based in Los Angeles, CA. Her graduate thesis was titled "Comparing Lineups to Showups in the Field vs. Lab." Currently, Rebecca is a Ph.D. student at Iowa State University under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Smith.

T'awna Williams is a graduate of the Forensic Psychology Master’s Program, and she is currently a Ph.D. student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice under the supervision of Dr. Saul Kassin. In 2018, T'awna graduated with Honors in Psychology. Soon after joining the lab as an undergraduate, she was awarded with the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) fellowship and reawarded as a graduate student. For her undergraduate honors thesis she examined online versus live witness behavior following a social influence prompt. T'awna largely focused on pursuing a doctoral degree studying false confessions. She wishes to pursue a career that aids in preventing wrongful convictions and freeing the innocent. Her other interests include the study of juror decision-making and interrogations.

Jennifer Jones is a graduate of the Forensic Psychology M.S. program who is currently a Ph.D. student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, under the direction of Dr. Margaret Bull Kovera. Jen graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology and Minor in Criminal Justice from Cal State Los Angeles in 2018. As an undergraduate, Jen joined the Forensic Psychology lab during her Sophomore year, won several awards for her presentation of our research, and earned special recognition from the Honors College for her thesis assessing how witnesses' personality can affect performance on a showup identification task. As a PhD student, Jen hopes to continue her applied research assessing police and court procedures and influence policy change to help protect the rights of all individuals. Specific areas of interest include lineup and showup administration and admonition procedures, identifying juror bias during the voir dire process, interrogation techniques, and assessing prison rehabilitation programs designed to lower recidivism rates.

Gaby Cedré graduated from the M.S. program in 2018 after taking lead on many projects in the Forensic Psychology Lab. During her time as a student here, she coathored papers published in Law and Human Behavior (2018) and Applied Cognitive Psychology (2017). Her Masters thesis argues for the bifurcation of gang evidence by demonstrating how describing a defendant as a gang member could cause jurors to falsely remember previous criminal conduct and convictions that were never introduced during trial. After interning during her second year, Gaby has continued her work as a trial consultant in Los Angeles. She currently works as a Project Manager at Decision Analysis Inc.

Marianne Lacsamana is a former graduate student hailing from San Fernando Valley, California. In 2015, she earned her B.A. in Psychology at the University of San Francisco. She plans on pursuing doctoral studies and ultimately aims to work within law enforcement. Marianne’s interests include a multitude of criminal justice issues including police procedures/law enforcement, and the psychological effects it brings forth to those who encounter the criminal justice system. Her last project included research on how social support effects children’s memory performance during forensic interviews. Her thesis project focused on the social influence of post-identification feedback on eyewitness memory.

Charmaine Chui is a former lab member who graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Criminal Justice in 2021. She was a member of both the Early Entrance Program and the Honors College. She joined the Forensic Psychology lab in Spring 2018 as a second-year undergraduate and her interests are centered around the ways in which psychology intersects with the legal system. Her honors thesis was titled, "Assessing Individual Differences in Application: Are Some People More Likely to Make False Identifications?" Currently, Charmaine is obtaining her J.D. at Arizona State University.

Diana Fajardo Castellanos is a former graduate student in the MS Forensic Psychology program, and a former research assistant in the Forensic Psychology Lab. She graduated from Cal State Los Angeles with a B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in Criminal Justice in 2019. Her year-long internship with Jail Guitar Doors USA sparked her interest in working with the incarcerated population and at-risk youth. She is also interested in the many ways the criminal justice system affects youth as they age. She hopes to one-day influence policy change regarding sentencing for youth offenders.

Jordyn Mullinax is a former graduate student in the M.S. Forensic Psychology program, and a former research assistant in the Forensic Psychology Lab. Originally from Riverside, California, Jordyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from California State University, San Bernardino in 2018. She volunteered at the Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center as an advocate for sexual assault survivors. She plans to pursue a career as a licenced counselor helding ading survivors of violent crimes and people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.