Social Psychology and Applying Research in the Real World with Angelika Santero

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 such as labor, immigration, and economic inequality. In community college, I attended my first research conference, where I witnessed how research can be used to benefit our communities. This changed my initial view of how research looked as I saw it could aid in my passion for understanding and promoting systems that enable inclusivity and equity. I am curious about how our lives and well-being are affected by the larger systems and social factors that surround us.

These interests have led me to my work in community-based roles such as Silver Spaces, a well-being program for women physicians navigating burnout and stress. I translated academic research on the impacts of the healthcare system on physicians’ health into public-facing content for social media and guidebooks for the program. I also explored this through research, whether in intersectional frameworks for women’s representation in climate change leadership research for the Piedmont Interdisciplinary Studies Journal or by analyzing the impact of menstruation on university students at my previous institution. Through these opportunities, I have explored how our social identities and experiences influence how we navigate the world.

As a Gil Intern, I have worked at Innovation, Research, & Training (iRT), a behavioral sciences research company that conducts translational scientific studies to create products and services that improve the well-being of youth, families, organizations, and communities. Under the mentorship of Dr. Janis Kupersmidt and Dr. Rebecca Stelter, I have been working on a project to create a tool for informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) organizations to engage youth’s interest in these subjects and towards STEM careers. At iRT, I have worked on the development of qualitative survey questions, the identification of relevant informal STEM organizations, creating the IRB form for review, and more.

This experience has brought me a better understanding of how psychological research is conducted and how it can be practically applied in organizations. I cannot only see how the research is directly used in creating trainings for more effective STEM mentorships, but also the process of how research is conducted, and ensuring that it will be useful to different organizations. I look forward to continuing this work and also learning more about conducting qualitative interviews, analyzing these findings, and turning them into applicable tools for employees and volunteers to use.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with and have mentorship under iRT, alongside the guidance and support through the Karen M. Gil Internship with Dr. Steven Buzinski and Richie Gray. I’m excited to keep exploring how research can be applied to the real world and this intersection between psychological research and organizational goals.