Current Ph.D. Students

Alyssa Gammon

Alyssa Gammon is currently a PhD student in the Educational Psychology program at UNM under the supervision of Dr. Shengjie Lin. She works full time as a Senior Learning Specialist at the UNM School of Medicine, where she supports students in their pre-clinical and clinical training. Alyssa’s early research has focused on motivation and resilience, as well as how to teach resilience skills to medical students. She presented at the Medical Education Learning Specialist Conference in 2025 on her research related to a program she is piloting with Graduate Medical Education that institutes a continuity-of-care model for learning support between Undergraduate Medical Education and Graduate Medical Education. Alyssa completed her MEd in Curriculum and Instruction, with a focus on adolescent literacy, in 2018 at Concordia University.

Amal Ashour

Amal Ashour is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology program at UNM under the supervision of Dr. Yu-Yu Hsiao. Her research interests include motivation, particularly situational interest, and academic choice. Amal earned a bachelor’s degree in English Language and a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from UNM. She is a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship (2019–2021) and the Zancada Graduate Fellowship (2023–2024). After completing her master’s degree, she served as a United Nations volunteer in Palestine, working on youth program development and community engagement. She is also the assistant coordinator for the Learning Strategies Team at the Center for Teaching and Learning, where she supports UNM undergraduate students in developing effective study strategies.

Andrea Bancroft

Andrea Bancroft is currently a master’s student in the Educational Psychology program, with plans to begin her doctoral studies under the advisement of Dr. Ursula Moffitt in Fall 2026. Andrea works as a graduate research assistant in Dr. Moffitt’s RISE Lab and as a project assistant for Dean Goodrich on the College of Education and Human Sciences Centennial Committee. Her prior professional experiences include working with children with learning disabilities in public schools and working with traumatized youth in a clinical psychiatric research setting. These experiences led her to pursue research focused on critically examining gender and racial identity development among adolescent girls and LGBTQ+ youth within oppressive environments.

Andrew (Drew) Schneider

Andrew “Drew” Schneider is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Psychology program at the University of New Mexico (UNM) under the supervision of Dr. Jay Parks. He is currently researching the relationship between feedback and motivation in Nursing simulation and clinical education. Drew’s primary research interest is feedback given in instructional settings. He has conducted numerous faculty development sessions on feedback techniques in the past ten years. Drew has considerable experience using educational technology in healthcare education settings. This includes instructional design, implementation, technical support, and evaluation of educational technology. Drew currently works for UNM’s College of Nursing as an instructional designer and Canvas technical support specialist.

Chalon Johnson

Chalon Johnson is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology (EDPY) program under the advisement of Dr. Cari Hushman. Her qualitative research focuses on motivation specifically around teachers and mentors looking into their self-efficacy and perseverance within the STEM field. Her most recent research was on engineering students’ experiences and perceptions of sensor usefulness in a problem-based learning environment which was presented at two conferences in 2023. She is a graduate member of the institutional review board (IRB) and an instructor of several undergraduate-level courses, including EDPY303, EDPY310, and EDPY 472 in the EDPY program. Chalon enjoys working with students, helping them find a passion for learning, and striving for success.

Cristina Medrano

Under the supervision of Dr. Ursula Moffitt, Cristina Medrano is a combined Master’s/PhD Educational Psychology student and a graduate research assistant at the RISE Lab. Ignited by her lived experience as a first-generation Mexican American student, Cristina seeks out the educational equity and justice of marginalized populations with a specific focus on Latino communities. This passion has driven her to work across diverse educational settings, supporting marginalized learners from infancy throughout high school and prompted a complete immersion into culturally sustaining educational research. Cristina continues to advance educational research with and for Latino communities, drawing primarily on open-science asset-based frameworks and the critical examination of distances between culturally diverse learner needs and the educational systems that serve them.

Germain Degardin

Originally from France, Germain Degardin is a PhD student in Educational Psychology at the University of New Mexico, where he began his studies in Fall 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Yu-Yu Hsiao. He currently serves as a Science Research Manager for Project ECHO for Education Programs at UNM, supporting research design, evaluation, and data-driven improvement initiatives. Previously, Germain worked as an educational researcher and program evaluator at the Southwest Outreach Academic Research (SOAR) Evaluation and Policy Center at New Mexico State University. His research interests focus on student motivation and resilience, with a long-term goal of applying educational psychology research to bridge sports and education through motivation and resilience across academic and athletic contexts. For his comprehensive exam, Germain plans to review the literature on academic buoyancy, defined as students’ ability to overcome everyday academic challenges.

Ian Richardson

Ian Richardson is enrolled in the PhD program in Educational Psychology, mentored by Dr. Jay Parkes. Ian is interested in psychomotor skill acquisition/decay and understanding how effective feedback and skill evaluation influences competency. Ian is a former Pararescueman and currently serves as a Pararescue instructor and Program Manager at the 351st Special Warfare Training Squadron, where he teaches tactical medicine and technical rescue. He hopes to apply his research to improve instructional techniques for durable lifesaving medical and rescue skills. Ian holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology with a math minor from Kenyon College, and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering (bioelectric/neural engineering) from the University of Michigan.

Isabella Delmargo-Lewis

Under the guidance of Dr. Cari Hushman, Isabella Delmargo-Lewis is pursuing her doctorate in Educational Psychology. Isabella recently completed her M.A. in Educational Psychology and has a B.S. in Elementary Education, both from UNM. Isabella desires to research the use of peer tutoring in the undergraduate classroom to increase equitable and symbiotic avenues to successful learning. She is an instructor of an EDPY 330 classroom, working to prepare undergraduate UNM students who have been hired to work as tutors in courses that have high enrollment. She also teaches courses for the Center for English Language and American Culture in the Global Education Office, where students from all over the world come to UNM to refine their academic English skills.

Jacen (Jay) Lujan

Jacen “Jay” Lujan is an MA/PhD student in Educational Psychology (EDPY) at the University of New Mexico under the supervision of Dr. Shengjie Lin. A proud Nuevomexicano, Jay was born and raised in Pojoaque, New Mexico. He has extensive experience working with children, both informally since age 13 and formally since age 19. In 2025, Jay earned his BS in Elementary and Special Education through UNM’s Dual Licensure Program. He currently teaches special education English Language Arts in Albuquerque Public Schools. His research interests include the role of trauma in educational practices and student learning, with the goal of advancing trauma-informed education for diverse student populations across New Mexico.

Jordan T. Henson

Jordan Henson is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology Program at the University of New Mexico (UNM) under the advisement of Dr. Jay Parkes. Her research focuses on exploring effective methods for teaching psychomotor skills related to the healthcare field. She created the deliberate learning program at UNM-Valencia. The program's purpose is to prevent skill degradation and develop critical thinking. She presented on this program at the SIMGHOST X 2024 Conference and the NMCNE 2025 Nurse Educators Conference. She has been a nurse for six years, most recently working with post-operative patients at UNM Hospital. She received her master's degree in nursing education from UNM. She is currently a lecturer with the UNM-Valencia nursing program.

Joshua R. Lopez

Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology

Joseph Poole

Joseph Poole is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of New Mexico in Educational Psychology. Through the expertise provided by his mentor, Dr. Jay Parkes, he is researching the cognitive processes that students use to approach, analyze and answer multiple choice examination questions. Throughout his career, Joseph has faithfully served students, and educators cultivating interprofessional and data-driven academic environment. Professionally, he has been a nurse educator for 18 years. He leads the University of New Mexico Valencia Nursing Program and serves as the Health Sciences Division Chair overseeing both the nursing and allied health programs. Additionally, Joseph has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing Education. He has presented at local, national and international conferences on nursing simulation. Most recently, he presented at the SimGhosts-EP conference where he presented “Using Learning Theory: Gangé’s Theory As A Framework For Simulation.”

Julie Jaramillo

Julie Jaramillo is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New Mexico in Educational Psychology. Through the expertise provided by her mentor, Dr. Yu-Yu Hsiao, she is researching the mechanisms through which low-income Hispanic students enroll in postsecondary education. Throughout her career, Julie has faithfully served students, families, educators, and administrators in cultivating a more collaborative, data-centric environment. Professionally, she leads participatory evaluation, fostering data literacy and supporting data-informed decisions among educators. Additionally, Julie has a bachelor’s degree in Managing Information Systems and a Master of Science in Data Analytics. She was the recipient of the Center of Regional Studies Graduate Student Fellowship for 2023-2024.

KatieAnn Juanico

KatieAnn Juanico is a Ph.D candidate in Educational Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Cari Hushman. KatieAnn is an enrolled tribal member of the Pueblo of Acoma and was raised on the reservation by her parents, Marietta and Melvin Juanico. She began her career in education as a Head Start teacher and over the years has served in many educational capacities – including as a Head Start teacher, an education manager, a director, a FOCUS consultant, and as one of the trustees for the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS). She most recently worked for the San Felipe pueblo as the Education Director.

Ms. Juanico has taught two courses at the University of New Mexico (UNM) – Human Growth and Development & Learning and the Classroom – over the past ten (10) semesters. She has earned a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Language Arts and a master’s degree in educational psychology from UNM. Her research interests include motivators that positively impact Native American students and their choice to pursue higher degrees.

KatieAnn currently serves as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Education for the New Mexico Public Education Department. As part of her job, she leads Indian Education Programs, Native American language and culture projects, and tribal consultations.

Lindsey Jurgensen

Lindsey Jurgensen is currently an MA/PhD student in Educational Psychology (EDPY) at the University of New Mexico under the supervision of Dr. Jay Parkes. Her early research focus has tuned into exploring how motivation interacts with the likelihood and quality of life-long learning. Lindsey left her career as an elementary school educator in 2021 because she was curious to better understand the learner, a step in her own lifelong learning journey that brought her back academia. She brings quality experience in elementary education, working in a humanoid robotics lab, and in corporate training to her research. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of West Florida.

Marisa Nodine

Ph.D candidate in Educational Psychology

Megan Faulkner

Megan Faulkner (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in UNM’s Educational Psychology program under the advisement of Dr. Cari Hushman. With a background in environmental education, science communication, and project-based learning, her research focuses on the development and measurement of STEM identity, particularly among first-generation undergraduate students. She has developed strong skills in statistical analysis, research methods, and program evaluation through work with UNM’s Refugee and Immigrant Well-being Project, Office of Assessment and Academic Program Review, Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, STEM-H Center, and the Undergraduate Research, Arts, and Design Network. A proud first-generation college student and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Megan seeks to expand educational opportunities and positive outcomes for those historically underrepresented in higher education.

Qing Wang

Qing Wang is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Psychology (EDPY) program under the guidance of Dr. Yu-Yu Hsiao. Her research focuses on psychometric and advanced statistical methodologies, such as machine learning, and their application in fostering student well-being and academic success. Her recent meta-analysis study on the effectiveness of high school dropout intervention programs was published in the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR). She has served as a statistics tutor and an instructor of several undergraduate-level courses, including EDPY303 and EDPY310, in the EDPY program. Qing takes great joy in tutoring students and sharing her knowledge to help them succeed in their academic endeavors.