Intern Blog

Hello! My name is Kariss Cone, and I am a senior from Nashville, Tennessee, double-majoring in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Social and Economic Justice. This semester, I’ve had the privilege of working as a Clinical Psychology Intern at The Purpose Center @ KKJ Forensic and Psychological Services in Durham. My interest in psychology comes from both intellectual curiosity in the human brain and behavior, and from personal experience. From navigating my own mental h

In the Chapel Hill area, April 22nd from 2:30 to 3:20 PM? If so, make sure to stop by our Spring 2026 Gil Intern 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!

Hi there! My name is Athena Dontas, a current Karen M. Gil Social Psychology intern at UNC TEACCH Autism: Employment Services. I am a junior from Roxboro, North Carolina pursuing my B.A. in Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.    My interest within the field of psychology was piqued from a young age, when I tried to understand the struggles my older brother constantly wrestled with. My older brother was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism at an ea

Hey everyone! My name is Maya McPartland, and I am a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in psychology and computer science. This semester, I’ve had the privilege to work as a quantitative psychology intern at The Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development. This opportunity has served as a chance to fully explore my long-time interest in the interplay of technology and mental health.   Growing up, I experienced firsthand the negative eff

Hello everyone! My name is Juliana Floriani, and I am a clinical psychology intern at 3-C Family Services this semester. I am currently a senior from Asheville, North Carolina, pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Biology.   My interest in psychology began through my clinical shadowing experiences in high school. I was one of eight students selected for the MAHEC Mentoring Program, where I spent time shadowing in a women’s health clinic. Many of the patients I observ

Hi y’all! My name is Fareeda Akewusola, and I am a senior Neuroscience major from Houston, Texas, with double minors in Medical Anthropology and Entrepreneurship. This semester, I have had the incredibly enriching experience of working as a Clinical Psychology Intern with the AHB Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness in Durham.   My interest in mental health has always lived at the intersection of science and lived experience. Growing up in Nigeria, I witnessed firsthand

Hello, my name is Angelika Santero (she/her), and I transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill in the Fall of 2025 from Central Piedmont Community College. I am currently majoring in both psychology and data science, with a particular interest in social and organizational psychology. Growing up, I witnessed how my loved ones’ long work shifts and stress loads affected their well-being. I witnessed how our wellness is not an isolated phenomenon but is intertwined with social structures su

Hello! My name is Charlotte Wilkerson, and I am a Clinical Psychology Intern at Lepage Associates Psychological Services this semester. I’m a junior from Asheville, North Carolina pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in German studies.   My interest in psychology originated from personal experience with chronic illness. I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when I was 10, and it took years for it to go into remission, making it a defining aspect of my adolescence. I ex

Hi everyone! My name is Manchen Wang, and I am a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in psychology and minoring in philosophy. Since early adolescence, I have been captivated by the long-standing nature-versus-nurture question, whether human morality is rooted in nature or shaped by experience. I always felt certain that people were born inherently good. However, as I grew older and became more aware of psychological struggles, moral conflict,

Hello everyone! My name is Gurnoor Grewal, and I am a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Neuroscience, and I’m originally from High Point, NC. This semester, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to serve as a Clinical Operations and Market Strategy Intern at Pulvinar Neuro. I began my journey at Carolina heavily invested in neuroscience research.  During my junior year of high school, I conducted a year-long research project analyzing how dif

Hi everyone! My name is Urvi Patel, and I am a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Neuroscience, with minors in Chemistry and Entrepreneurship. Throughout my time at Carolina, I have been driven by a strong interest in how access shapes health outcomes. As I prepare for a career in medicine, I have become especially committed to addressing the inequities that prevent individuals in underserved communities from receiving quality care. “I’m sor

Hi everyone! My name is Kejia Zhang, and I’m a senior at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. My curiosity about the mind started long before I knew what neuroscience was. Growing up between Russia and China, I was surrounded by multiple languages and cultural contexts, and I became sensitive to how people change the way they speak depending on who they are with and what they have lived through. Language felt less like a fixed system and more li

Please welcome our Spring 2026 cohort! Feel free to learn more about each intern here !

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