Meet The Organizers
Hi everyone! We are students in the Community/Clinical/Social Psychology PhD programs here at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). We are excited to host this years' ECO conference and can't wait to connect with everyone.
ECO '25
Fariha Hasan - Clinical
My name is Fariha (she/her)! My research interests include substance use, contextual factors influencing recovery, and implementation science. My research aims to understand the impact of social determinants on health disparities faced by immigrant communities and people of color. In my free time, I enjoy exploring different cuisines and cooking elaborate meals for my community.
Paola Jiménez-Muñoz - Clinical
Hi! I’m Paola (she/her), born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and now planting roots in Chicago. I’m a researcher and future psychologist passionate about healing justice and addressing the structural drivers of inequities among people who use(d) drugs. I'm also a big sister and a recovering theater kid. To me, community is a place to practice interdependence, transformation, and collective care on our journey toward liberation.
Justyce Harris - Clinical
Hello everyone! I’m Justyce (she/her), a proud Chicagoan entering my second year of graduate school in the Clinical Psychology program at UIC. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, attending social events, and watching good movies. My research interests focus on investigating racial and gender disparities in ADHD diagnoses among youth and adolescents. I aim to promote access to accurate diagnoses and to develop culturally sensitive, innovative treatments for marginalized communities.
Allegra Hinojosa-Cabrera - Community
Hi! My name is Allegra (she/her) and I am a Chicago native. My research interests include early childhood policy evaluation, social-emotional learning, and exclusionary discipline. I love to crochet, read, and try new coffee places! To me, community means connection, acceptance, and support.
Morgan Pearlman - Clinical Track
Hi everyone! My name is Morgan (she/her), I'm a second year in the Clinical Psychology program at UIC, and my research is generally related to substance use. Outside of school I love hearing live music, working on photography and graphic design, and spending time with friends and family. To me, community is sharing the experience of life with those around us and cultivating meaningful connections.
Aaron Sterling - Social Track
Hi! I’m Aaron (he/him) and I’m a first year in the Social/Personality PhD program at UIC. My research interests include personality judgment methodology, virtue assessment, and personality trait predictors in sports (particularly F1 & the NBA). Outside of my research, I am an active Philly sports fan, I love watching Formula 1, and I love all things music - listening or playing. To me, community means comfort, and having somewhere to go when we need, and don’t need, support.
Michelle Vargas - Community Track
Hello! I am a doctoral student in the Community and Applied Developmental Psychology program. My research focuses on understanding the personal experiences and identities that shape educational decision-making.
Clare Wongwai - Clinical Track
Hi y’all! I’m Clare (she/they) and I’m a second-year Clinical Psychology student at UIC. My research interests surround tending to health disparities through increasing access to culturally responsive health services and mental health care utilization for marginalized communities, especially immigrants and families of color. For fun, I love making music, water coloring, and learning languages.
Rachel Wolchok- Clinical Track
Rachel Wolchok (she/hers) is a first year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at UIC. Her research interests lie in community-based methods for researching recovery from substance use, as well as community-level factors in facilitating recovery. Rachel is excited to be a part of the ECO Planning Committee to help welcome our presenters, who she is equally, if not more, excited to learn from!
Marisa Berner - Clinical
Hi! I’m Marisa (she/her) and I’m a first-year Clinical Psychology student at UIC. My research interests are centered around interpersonal and intimate partner violence, particularly from a socio-ecological and community-centered orientation. In my free time, I enjoy reading, learning languages, and baking.
Mayra Guerrero, PhD
I’m Mayra Guerrero, an Assistant Professor in the Community and Applied Developmental and Clinical Psychology Programs at the University of Illinois Chicago. Originally from the Bronx, New York, I’ve called Chicago home for the past 10 years. I’m currently the faculty co-lead organizer for Midwest ECO 2025 alongside Jessica Shaw. I first attended ECO in 2015 as a graduate student and have stayed connected to the conference ever since - most recently experiencing a full-circle moment by attending with my own students. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, exploring new restaurants, and traveling. For me, community means collective care, resistance, and building spaces rooted in justice, healing, and belonging.
Jessica Shaw, PhD
Jessica Shaw is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Community and Applied Developmental Psychology Program at UIC. She is the co-lead faculty organizer of Midwest ECO 2025 alongside Mayra Guerrero. Jessica earned her PhD in Ecological-Community Psychology from Michigan State University in 2014 and has been attending ECO since her days as a graduate student there.