Using My Voice to Ensure Others Are Heard: My Journey at UNC TEACCH Autism with Athena Dontas

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 early age and my family and I were quickly made aware of the support he needed to tackle daily living. This followed throughout every stage of his life: childhood, adolescence, and now adulthood. Throughout each of these stages, my brother’s mental health always faltered as he would have to constantly fight his growing list of diagnoses - OCD, anxiety disorders, depression, etc. Having to deal with the internal plight of each of these was a hard enough task, but lacking the proper care from therapists around the Triangle to treat an individual on the spectrum made this even harder. Seeing this invoked a fire in me to improve this, not only for my brother, but for those who were in similar situations. 

Coming to UNC as a psychology major, I was determined to become a practicing therapist and work with individuals on the spectrum. I had no idea how to get there and found myself lost during my first year at UNC, wondering if I was even on the right path. This feeling lasted until the spring of freshman year after I had gotten connected to a PhD student at Rice University in Houston, Texas. I worked with this mentor as she introduced me to the field of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology. I found a foothold at Rice University’s MET Laboratory, working as a research assistant examining team functioning under pressure, which displayed the need for research in explaining how organizations succeed. Working as a research assistant for the following two years following the initial connection, I gained knowledge about the field, how to navigate the logistical happenings of research, qualitative data coding in its entirety, and so much more priceless information that refined my passion for psychology.

While working at Rice, my brother was hired to work at a car-part manufacturing company in our rural hometown. An initially exciting feat for him soon morphed into an exploitative work environment that set him in toxic conditions, paying him minimum wage. Despite being proud of his work, he prioritized his health and left the job but has since been unemployed. I realized how quickly dignity can be stolen when workplaces ignore the needs of their employees. I wanted to fix this mistreatment for Intellectually Developmental Delayed (IDD) individuals in the workplace, making their voices heard to everyone. That experience sparked my entry into solving this problem: if I could study team dynamics and workplace conditions, I could improve them, and this was only the beginning. This realization turned my interest in I-O Psychology into a commitment to not only study the workplace but transform it in practice, serving those overlooked by the system.

During my junior year at UNC, I was able to bring this extensive knowledge back to campus as I used my qualitative data coding experience as a research assistant in Dr. Anna Bardone-Cone’s Eating Disorders and Body Image lab. I have been able to assist on projects specifically geared towards highlighting underrepresented populations, an issue I have held close to me throughout my academic journey. Additionally, I was an Undergraduate Learning Assistant (ULA) alongside Dr. Vicki Chanon, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies in Psychology & Neuroscience, for her Cognitive Psychology course. I aided her in providing direction within her classroom, gaining hands-on experience with fellow students. UNC’s limited resources for social psychology, such as I-O, has led me to turn to working within my means - even if this looks like using my expertise in areas that aren’t necessarily my desired field in the future. I was beyond grateful to be gaining meaningful involvement in each of these activities on campus but wondered how I could redirect my efforts to what I truly wanted to do. 

This misalignment was a thing of the past after getting the spot in the Spring 2026 Karen M. Gil Internship cohort. Being awarded this internship helped bridge the gap between a worksite and myself, solidifying my desire to implement change in real-time. I was able to do this through matching with my worksite - UNC TEACCH Autism: Employment Services. I was taken in by Principal Investigator Dr. Brianne Tomaszewski, shown the ropes by herself and other staff within the office. 

Upon coming to UNC TEACCH, I was onboarded onto a project titled NC Hire. On this project, I am responsible for qualitative data coding to help assess the satisfaction of competitive integrated employment (CIE) from employees, family/caregivers, and providers amongst rural North Carolina. Concurrently, I have joined the HEELS UP initiative, which invites I/DD individuals onto UNC’s campus to be non-degree seeking and gain exposure to all the social aspects of being on campus. I have been able to work with HEELS UP students to shadow coaching sessions and help with the interviewing process for our upcoming summer and fall cohort. I have been pulled into the happenings of REDCap, where I am cross-referencing documents for the purpose of reliable data transferring for an appointed research study. In addition to my tasks, I attend our weekly meetings where we share updates on each of the projects within the team and have a professional development segment to learn from. This work has been invaluable to me, and I cannot wait to continue on what I have been doing throughout the remainder of the semester. 

My time within the Karen M. Gil Internship has allowed me to blossom in countless facets and given me room to enrich my academic, and professional interests, deepening my passion for continuing a path in I-O Psychology. Following graduation, I plan to enter a pre-doctoral position to prepare me for transiting into an I-O Psychology PhD program. I express my sincere appreciation for Brianne Tomaszewski, who has allowed me to join the team at TEACCH with open arms and an abundance of opportunities. I want to thank each of my fellow research assistants within the office: Aidan, Stevie, Emma, Hannah and Cam for being so willing to integrate me into their projects and giving me guided exploration to tap into the world of research more heavily. Additionally, I want to thank Dr. Buzinski and Richie Gray for seeing the passion within me and giving me a platform to build upon my skills in such an applied way. Lastly, I want to give the greatest thanks to my amazing older brother, Elis, for constantly being a beacon of light for me, fueling me through every passion I maintain.