Miriam Alfano
Originally from Italy, Miriam earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Palermo, where she gained professional experience in counseling through an internship at a community healthcare service. Her interest in I/O began after attending her first class of organizational psychology, which was during an exchange program in France, at the University of Rouen. Since then, she became passionate about employee well-being and satisfaction in the workplace, and she is looking to pursue a career as an HR consultant. Besides studying and working, Miriam enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, practicing yoga and other sports, cooking, and dancing!
Second Year Internship:
Kimberly Bautista
Kimberly graduated from California Polytechnic University, Pomona, with her B.A. in Psychology. In her undergraduate years, she participated in lab work around the research topics of diversity and mental health in Latinx communities, which informed her interests in I/O. She spent time at Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises as an administrative assistant, which helped pave her way into pursuing I/O Psychology. She is currently a member of the People in Organizations Lab, where she is working on her thesis examining the impact of organizational diversity statements on applicants’ perceptions and experiences.
Second Year Internship: SFSU Psychology Department
Marjan Dost
Marjan graduated from CSU-East Bay with a B.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Throughout her undergraduate years, her professional roles consisted of managerial positions. This sparked the initial interest in the I/O field after collaborating with her operations team to develop team-building activities for the company. Marjan's area of research interest consists of selection, performance appraisal, and new hiring methodologies to measure talent. Under Dr. Sanchez's supervision, she initiated this journey in exploring VR utilization for hiring practices. In her free time, Marjan enjoys taking long evening walks, reading classic literature, and solving puzzles.
Second Year Internship:
Shay Furtado
Shay graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from San Jose State University. During her undergraduate studies, she was a member of Delta Gamma, where she held a leadership role on the Honor Board Committee, served as a Peer Mentor for new students, and competed as a student-athlete on the NCAA Division I San Jose State Softball team. After graduating, Shay initially pursued a path in School Psychology, teaching and coaching in preparation for this career. While working in a school district and later teaching English in Spain, she found teaching deeply rewarding but was frustrated by the lack of resources and support available. This experience led her to focus on her true passions—teaching, mentoring, and finding creative ways to improve individuals’ experiences. Having enjoyed her Introduction to I/O Psychology course in undergrad, and after facing workplace burnout herself, she chose to pursue Industrial-Organizational Psychology with the goal of improving the employee experience. In her graduate program, Shay has been involved in two research labs—the Health & Occupational Wellness Lab and the Workplace Technology Lab and serves as Alumni Event Coordinator for the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Student Association. In summer 2025, she worked as a Human Resources and Learning & Development Intern at Prometheus Real Estate, where she gained hands-on experience with the selection process, enhanced recruitment metrics, supported wellness initiatives, and co-facilitated New Hire training. Her goal is to continue optimizing workplace operations and selection practices to improve the employee experience and help organizations attract passionate, engaged talent. In her free time, Shay enjoys live music, going to the movies, and grabbing coffee with friends.
Second Year Internship:
Kristina Gjika
Kristina Gjika graduated from California State University, East Bay in 2018 with a B.S. in Psychology, a concentration in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and a minor in Statistics. Kristina has experience in People Analyst with a strong background in goal setting, survey design, and advanced analytics. She has led data-driven initiatives across different organizations, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative data driven insights to inform leadership and stakeholder decision-making. Her professional career includes roles as a Data and Policy Analyst and DEI Co-Chair at Acumen LLC, where she drove measurable improvements in organizational policy changes, and as a Senior Data Analyst at HiPER Solutions LLC, where she streamlined operations through automation and impactful dashboards. With additional research experience at Cal State East Bay and ongoing graduate studies in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at San Francisco State University, Kristina brings a blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and a people-centered approach to her work. Outside of work, Kristina enjoys practicing aerial silks, running, and painting.
Second Year Internship: CPS HR Consulting
Emily Hartman
Emily arned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Following graduation, she began her career as an administrative assistant at Noble West Insurance Services. After a year in that role, she was promoted to Human Resources Representative, a position she has now held for two years. Her professional interests include recruitment, retention, and leadership dynamics. In her free time, Emily enjoys line dancing, testing her trivia knowledge, and spending time at the beach.
Second Year Internship: Noble West Insurance Services
Rodela Nirjhar
Rodela earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. During her undergrad years, Rodela has built a strong foundation of leadership and communication skills through roles such as an orientation welcome leader, coordinating events for the Santa Cruz Dragon Boat Club, and contributing as a research assistant in UCSC's Migration, Identity, and Education Lab. These experiences have helped her grow personally and professionally as she works toward her career goals. Through the MSIO program, she hopes to gain valuable knowledge and leadership skills, with the ultimate goal of working at NASA. Currently, she is part of the Workplace Technology Lab, and her research interests include workplace technology, teamwork, and personnel selection and retention. She is also pursuing her thesis through the lab on grading perceptions in universities.
Second Year Internship:
Jackson Penney
Jackson received a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2024. With initial interest in clinical psychology, he worked in mental health-related roles with AthMindset, the Oakland Roots, and the UNC's Student Safety and Wellness Branch of Student Executive Government during his time as an undergraduate. His interests at SFSU carry the same interest in well-being, but have shifted towards I/O contexts. He has been involved in both the Health and Organizational Psychology (HOP) Lab and Workplace Technology Research (WTR) Lab at SF State. Jackson's current research interests include the work-nonwork interface, subjective well-being, and recovery activities in leisure time. In his free time, Jackson enjoys playing soccer, listening to podcasts, and exploring new parts of San Francisco.
Second Year Internship: Genentech
Kiara Rodriguez-Angulo
Kiara earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. While at UCR, she joined the Leadership and Group Dynamics Lab as a research assistant, developing a deep interest in organizational behavior, data analytics, and leadership development. Shortly after, she landed her first internship in human resources as an HR Partner Intern with Amazon. There, she shadowed senior HR business partners and led a training and development project for area managers. She continued to build her skills as a People and Talent Analytics Intern, a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and a Research Assistant at SFSU, supporting research projects in the Workplace Technology, People in Organizations, and Employee Selection and Retention labs. Currently, Kiara is an HR Consulting Intern at Kaiser Permanente, where she supports various projects for the Northern California HR team and the case management of employee relations matters locally. In her free time, Kiara enjoys going to hot yoga classes, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.
Second Year Internship: Kaiser Permanente
Shree Krithika Shanmugavel
Krithika earned her B.Sc. in Psychology from Stella Maris College in India and completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science. Her previous internships in Human Resources and Behavioral Research exposed her to recruitment, learning and development, and analyzing employee performance and satisfaction data. These experiences sparked her interest in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, especially in analyzing hiring strategies, employee retention initiatives, and identifying patterns related to career preferences. This led her to pursue graduate school, where she could further develop her ability to connect data-driven analysis with practical strategies for enhancing the employee experience and workplace outcomes. Now, she is part of the People in Organizations Lab, working with Dr. Shiyu Yang on a Career Transition to Tech project that analyzes large-scale workforce data to uncover trends in career mobility and gender differences. She also works as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Psychological Statistics and as a Research Assistant on a faculty retention and mental health study. Outside of academics, she enjoys exploring the city on her own, listening to classical music performances, exercising, and playing sports.
Second Year Internship:
Luma Suryavamsh
Luma is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz's Psychology program. During her undergraduate career, Luma spent some time assisting the Spontaneous Communication Lab learn more about how individuals interacted with artificial agents who made errors during communication and corrected those errors. At SFSU, Luma has been a member of the labs of Dr. Wright, Dr. Yang, and Dr. Eschleman. Luma is aiming to complete a comprehensive exam and transition into HR or consulting roles post-graduation.
Second Year Internship:
Isaiah Washington
Isaiah earned his Bachelor's degree in Sociology from San Francisco State University in 2023 and is currently pursuing his Master's in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at SF State. His academic foundation in social structures and human behavior sparked his interest in I/O topics such as employee motivation, workplace culture, and organizational effectiveness. Isaiah is currently interning with Matriosh, a consumer-tech startup, where he is gaining hands-on experience in human resources and organizational development. He is also a member of the Workplace Technology Lab at SF State, led by Dr. Diana R. Sanchez, where he contributes to research on technology-based workplace interventions such as virtual reality training, simulation, and game-based assessment. Isaiah brings a diverse background to his studies, having been a junior college athlete with a strong passion for football and later gaining years of experience in the service industry. These experiences helped him develop resilience, teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills, which now shape his professional journey. Outside of academics and work, Isaiah enjoys spending time with his wife, visiting Disneyland, watching football, playing video games, going to the gym, and caring for his two cats, Kylo and Phoenix. He is enthusiastic about advancing his research skills and contributing to evidence-based practices in the I/O field.
Second Year Internship: Matriosh
Steven Wong
Steven began his professional journey as a line cook at a Fire Wings restaurant. During his time there, he gained essential restaurant management skills, which he used when he was promoted to assistant manager at Fire Wings. Steven was responsible for training staff, resolving conflicts, motivating team members, managing inventory, and fostering a strong customer service culture within the restaurant. Many skills from his restaurant management experience have been applied in other areas of his career, such as his role as a program evaluator for the PolyTransfer program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Steven led a team of five evaluators under the guidance of a senior evaluator and conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of workshops and the peer mentorship program. While consulting with the senior coordinator of PolyTransfer and other stakeholders, he developed a survey sent to 350 transfer students to evaluate the programs. His team analyzed both quantitative and qualitative data from the survey and presented a report to stakeholders to support key decision-making. Steven is also a McNair scholar researching how personality influences job satisfaction. He presented his findings at the 2024 Western Psychological Association conference. Currently, Steven is enrolled in the Master of Science program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at San Francisco State University, where he is researching how different interview training methods—Immersive Virtual Reality versus Computer-based—affect performance and knowledge transfer. He is actively seeking additional professional experiences in the technology industry.
Second Year Internship:
Marcelina Zavala
Marcelina is a second-year graduate student in the I/O Psychology Master's Program. She holds a BA in Psychology and brings a unique perspective to the intersection of human behavior and technology. With a deep interest in the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, she wants to focus on how AI can influence executive leadership, decision-making processes, and employee training. Their research explores the transformative potential of AI to enhance organizational effectiveness, while maintaining a strong emphasis on human-centric approaches. Passionate about integrating psychological insights into technological advancements, Marcelina is committed to driving innovation that benefits both individuals and businesses in the evolving digital landscape.
Second Year Internship: