Intern Blog

Hello! My name is Megan Taylor (she/her), and I am a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. I’m originally from Minneapolis, MN, and this semester, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to serve as a Gil Intern at the TEACCH Autism Program.   My interest in the human brain and neuroscience originated from early personal experiences that highlighted how severe neurological conditions and behavioral health crises fundamentally influence dail

And that's a wrap! Congratulations are in order for our Fall 2025 Gil Internship cohort. This amazing group did a wonderful job presenting all the hard work they completed throughout the semester. Dr. Buzinski, Dr. Gil, and Richie are all extremely proud of every intern and wish them luck in their future endeavors. Please take a moment to scroll through our showcase presentation. Congrats again to our Fall 2025 Gil Internship cohort!!!

“Honey, take the Ativan!” This was the most salient request coming through the chaos of shuffling feet and crowding bodies and beeping machines as a Holly Hill patient laid on the ground by the med window, convulsing and crying, presumably having an anxiety attack. She was refusing the medicine, trying to write her requests and feelings on a piece of paper because she was hard of hearing and temporarily mute amidst the panic and stress. The Holly Hill staff, finding her vital

Hi everyone! My name is Siri Dommata, and I am a senior from Apex, North Carolina, studying Neuroscience and Medicine, Literature, and Culture. For as long as I can remember, I have loved two things: learning about people and asking questions. I’ve always wanted to know why — why someone saves the green Skittles for last, why we knock on wood when we hope for something good, and as I grew older, why we connect with stories, how people carry their joy and difficulty, and how t

In the Chapel Hill area, December 3rd at 2:30 PM? If so, make sure to stop by our Fall 2025 Gil Interns Showcase located on the first floor of Howell Hall. Here you will be able to ask interns about the work that they conducted throughout the semester at their worksites and learn more about the Karen M. Gil Internship Program. Excited to see you then!

Hello! My name is Yuthika Sathyanarayanan (she/her). I am a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in Psychology and Biology and minoring in Social and Economic Justice. My interest in psychology and psychiatry began in middle school, when I started to learn more about human behavior and recent clinical psychology research. However, this interest in psychology probably stemmed from a much younger age, a time when I was a kid watching detective and spy shows, reading Sherlock and

Hello all! My name is Darian Du (he/him pronouns), and I’m currently an undergraduate junior at UNC-Chapel Hill pursuing a major in Psychology working at the Morse Clinic in Durham, NC. Though I wasn’t always passionate about psychology and mental health, my love for it began in high school, enrolling in AP Psych, (misguidedly) thinking that it could help resolve my mental health challenges. While indeed, there were some tangentially-related habits and/or techniques that I wo

Hello everyone! My name is Richie Gray, and I am the Gil Internship Manager for the Fall 2025 cohort. I had the pleasure of visiting Lepage Associates during the Fall 2025 semester. Lepage Associates is a multi-speciality private practice that offers a wide range of psychological and psychiatric services for both adults and children. These services include psychotherapy, psychoeducation, testing & assessments, forensic evaluations, and much more.   Lepage Associates' office

Hello! My name is William Malone (he/him/his), and I am a Senior majoring in Psychology (B.A.) and minoring in Japanese. My Gil internship worksite is at the nonprofit, Durham Children’s Initiative. At the heart of my interest in Psychology is a dedication and love for community. From the incredible people I met at home or abroad to the warm, welcoming spaces I’ve been invited into, community has been foundational to my undergraduate experience. I took this mindset with me wh

Hello, my name is D’Shawn Thomas, and I am a senior at UNC–Chapel Hill, majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a minor in Chemistry. My passion for psychiatry began during my senior year of high school, a period when I first started to see how mental health intersects with culture, community, and identity. Growing up, I saw someone close to me in my immediate family struggle with addiction, and I witnessed the emotional weight that untreated mental health challenges can place on

Hello Gillers!  Interested in seeing what other Gil Alumni are up to? Look no further, as the Fall 2025 edition of Sharing the Gil News is here! See what our lovely alumni are up to! Interested in getting more involved in the Internship program as an alumni? You can! Please make sure to fill out our Gil Alumni Survey  if you haven't already and request to join our alumni group on LinkedIn . Here we will be able to provide you updates on the internship program and be able to r

That’s the word that plays over and over again in my mind as I drive twenty minutes out to an eating disorder and mental health treatment center in Durham, North Carolina. Carolina House offers residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient care (IOP) for adults. And yet, despite being one of the few facilities of its kind in the state, it has been shut down and deemed financially unsustainable. Clients were forced to transfer elsewhere, and staff member

Hello! My name is Yutong Wu, and I’m from Nanjing, China. I’m currently a junior majoring in Psychology and Biostatistics, with a minor in Education. My interest in clinical psychology first began in middle school when I realized how fascinated I was by observing people, understanding their behaviors, and exploring the reasons behind them. Although my high school didn’t offer psychology courses, I started teaching myself, reading related books, and even founded a psychology c

Hello, my name is Artlyn Zakama! I am a junior at UNC, majoring in Psychology and double minoring in Neuroscience and Statistics and Analytics.   My passion for psychology began during my junior year of high school. Leading up to this point, I struggled with depression and did not receive the support I needed from my community. After this experience, I became passionate about reducing the stigma of mental health and serving underrepresented communities due to their lack of me

Hello! My name is Mina Bayraktar, and I am a senior at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry. My family is originally from Türkiye, but now we call Cary, North Carolina home. My passion for neuroscience began in an unexpected way, through the movie Inside Out . I remember being in middle school, completely mesmerized by how the film illustrated the inner workings of the brain and connected it to behavior and emotions. That was the spark that set m

My fascination with human behavior began in high school as I closely observed the early development of my younger siblings. That initial curiosity deepened when I volunteered at a summer camp, where guiding preschoolers and encouraging their creativity taught me how essential a safe, supportive environment is for growth. I saw how children thrive when they feel secure, seen, and heard. In recent years, however, my understanding of safety and support has been profoundly reshap

Please attend the Gil Internship Info Session on October 8th, 2025 at 6:00 PM in Howell 205 if you wish to learn more about our program!

Please welcome our Fall 2025 Gil Cohort! Read their full bios here !

We invite you to virtually attend our Spring 2020 Karen M. Gil Internship Poster Session ! The Spring 2020 cohort of Gil Interns faced...

It’s been another successful semester! This semester’s Gil interns did a great job and received rave reviews from their mentors. They...