Alumni Spotlight

Jordan Ogg '22

“While at Stetson, one of my most formative experiences was taking part in the psychology mentor program, where I was able to form a long-lasting relationship with my mentor and previous alumni, Amanda Price (director of the translational genomics program at the NIMH).”

Jordan Ogg graduated from Stetson in 2022 with degrees in Psychology and Biology. She worked alongside Dr. Sarah Garcia on tDCS in cognitively normal adults and with Dr. Robert Askew in running participants to develop a better method of pain assessment. Her first major introduction to neuroscience came with Dr. Lisa Robison, where she helped analyze data and ROIs in the mouse hippocampus of transgenic Alzheimer's models, evaluating high-fat diet effects and pathology. Jordan’s undergraduate research project in Psychology (mentored by Dr. Askew) examined stress effects on visual and verbal memory in humans, while her Biology project (mentored by Dr. Kee) examined neuronal morphology in AD C. elegans models.  

After Stetson, Jordan spent a year working in a neuroscience lab at Florida State University studying Alzheimer's disease and spatial navigation, as well as pathology clearance in rats and mice.  Jordan later enrolled in the University of Washington Neuroscience PhD program, working in the Young and Latimer labs investigating the role of TDP-43 in the endolysosomal system. In particular, the role of TDP-43 and SORL1 in LATE+AD co-pathology. She presented at the AAIC Alzheimer's Association® in London in July 2026, where she received the LATE PIA student poster award for her thesis work on the endolysosomal system in AD and TDP-43 proteinopathy.

Anastasiia (Gryshyna) Caangay '19

“During my time at Stetson, I was able to get the skills necessary for my current PhD position. Specifically, I served as a research assistant in Dr. Christopher Ferguson’s, Dr. Michael King’s, and Dr. Sarah Garcia’s labs. There, I learned to work with participants and administer pain-related measures, as well as work with mouse tissue and analyze neuronal data. I have used all these skills at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a PhD student. I had a head start compared to students who had never been exposed to these techniques. At Stetson, I also published a manuscript in Dr. Ferguson’s lab, which increased my admission chances when I applied to various PhD programs. Stetson also pushed me out of my comfort zone by introducing new, challenging topics. I am currently receiving a certificate in behavioral statistics from UAB, which would not be possible without guidance from Dr. Robert Askew, who inspired me to pursue the field of quantitative science. While at Stetson, I was able to get a competitive summer internship, be a tutor, teaching assistant, and receive awards for my work.”

Anastasiia received a master’s degree in Nanotechnology from the University of Central Florida. She then enrolled in the behavioral neuroscience PhD program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where she continued her research studying chronic pelvic pain and conducted electrophysiological recordings, behavioral tests, molecular assays, as well as brain imaging studies on mice. Anastasiia received her PhD. in May 2026.

Trinity Johnson '17

While at Stetson University, I was privileged to serve as Black Student Association president, adopted two minors in Africana Studies and Public Health, became a teaching assistant, conducted research, presented at the Southeastern Psychological Association Meeting, and formed lasting connections with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the DeLand community. The Psychology Department faculty continuously inspired me to push past my comfort zone and challenge myself academically. Without my time in this department, I would not have the essential skills I needed to complete my Master of Public Health degree or eventually get into my doctoral program. I am prepared for my next steps in the journey as I pursue a PhD in Integrative Anthropological Sciences specializing in Sociocultural and Medical Anthropology.” While pursuing her studies, Trinity worked as the Director of Annual Giving at Teach for America.

In 2019, Trinity received a Master of Public Health degree from Rollins College, and in May 2025, a PH.D. in Integrative Anthropological Science from the University of Central Florida. She now works as an Impact and Engagement Manager at Wayfarer Pathways. 

Carolyn Milkuka '17

 Stetson University's psychology department prepared me exceptionally well for graduate-level work. I not only feel academically prepared due to the rigor of Stetson's coursework and high expectations of professors, but I also have foundational knowledge that has allowed me to dive deeper and make connections among counseling topics. Senior Project allowed me to take ownership of a project and gave me the knowledge to be a savvy consumer of research, which was essential in my graduate program."

Carrie Mikulka '17 Stetson Psychology, '21  MEd. Vanderbilt Peabody College, currently a Licensed Professional Counselor at Sunstone Psychotherapy in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Mary Page Legett (James) '17

"Stetson University was an integral part of my development as a student and as a person. Through the opportunities I had, conducting multiple research projects, serving as Women's Club Soccer President, participating as a research apprentice and becoming a teaching apprentice, I discovered what I am truly passionate about. In December 2018, I graduated with an MA in Psychology and became a Certified Sport Psychology Consultant. Combining my two passions – psychology and sports led me to pursue a youth soccer coach job and a fitness manager position at The MAX Challenge, which emphasizes sport psychology, helping members reach their fitness goals.”

In May 2025, Mary Page graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a PhD in experimental psychology. She now works at Gallup in Nebraska. She started as a Survey Research Intern, worked her way up to Research Fellow, and is now an Associate Researcher.

Amanda Price, PhD '10

Amanda began her research career conducting needs-assessment interviews with the homeless in Volusia County as part of Stetson's Community-Based Research program. For her senior research project, she assessed differences in behavior and brain activation associated with social memory formation in rats. She also minored in Russian language, spent a semester abroad at Oxford, and graduated magna cum laude. After graduating, she pursued her interest in neuroscience as a research associate at SUNY Stony Brook, where she worked on projects examining the relationship between early-life adversity and the epigenome in stress resilience. She then enrolled in a doctoral program in Human Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she examined how epigenomic remodeling during human neurodevelopment relates to genetic risk for schizophrenia.

Amanda received her PhD in 2018 and completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in Baltimore, MD. She is now a Program Officer at the National Institute of Mental Health -NIMH in Maryland and Director of the Integrative Human Genomics Program.  

Shannon (Martin) Caramiello, PhD '12

Shannon (Martin) Caramiello earned her Psy.D. from the Florida School of Professional Psychology in Tampa, FL. Shannon (Shay) completed a clinical psychology internship at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, also in Tampa, FL. She completed one year of postdoctoral training in neuropsychology at Clinical Psychology Associates of North Central Florida in Gainesville, FL, and a second year at Bay Area Neuropsychology in Tampa, FL. During her graduate and internship training, Shay specialized in working with LGBTQ clients. She has provided individual and group therapy to transgender teens, adults, and veterans. She completed a 10-month Specialty Care Access Network-Extension for Community Health Outcomes (SCAN-ECHO) training on serving transgender veterans. She has presented at multiple local, state, and national conferences, including the American Psychological Association (APA) Conventions in Hawaii, Washington, D.C., and Toronto, CA, the Florida Psychological Association, and the Florida School of Professional Psychology’s Annual Diversity Conference. She served as the Psychology Department Chair at Keiser University - New Port Richey. Regarding her time here, she states, “Stetson University was the foundation of my academic career. I will be forever grateful for the mentorship and academic rigor offered there.”

Shannon is now working as a Clinical Neuropsychologist at Keystone Psychological Services in Tarpon Springs, Florida

Samantha Warta

After graduating from Stetson, Sam attended graduate school in the University of Central Florida’s Modeling and Simulation program. During graduate school, she served as a graduate research assistant in the Cognitive Sciences Lab at the University of Central Florida's Institute for Simulation and Training. She published papers on human-robot interaction, artificial social-cognitive architectures, decision-making under uncertainty and more. For the past several years, Sam has worked at Lockheed Martin, first as a Human Factors Design Engineer and now as a Data Scientist in the Missiles and Fire Control, Logistics and Sustainment division. And she has not stopped! This past year, she has had some “pretty cool experiences” at a few data science and cybersecurity conferences. She has been, and continues to be, asked to serve as a guest speaker at several national conferences. About her journey, which she knows has taken her far from her psychology roots, “I feel like I have come a long way from my time at Stetson and definitely feel like that has been the place that most prepared me for my interesting career path.”

Dave Glerum

"The transformative experiences I had in the psychology program at Stetson helped spark my interest in and enabled me to develop a passion for the psychological sciences. As a student, I learned the foundational traditions of psychology and came to value scientific inquiry and evidence-based decision-making firsthand by working on research under the direction of Stetson's inspiring, supportive faculty. I often think back to the excellent, developmental experiences I had as a student in the program and am so thankful for how they fostered within me a lifelong love of learning and a passion for research." Dave currently works as a Research Psychologist with the United States Department of the Army. 

Jessica Davis, MS '09

Jessica received a master's degree in Genetic Counseling from the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2013. She is a certified genetic counselor and clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Texas Medical School. Jessica coordinates the genetic consulting service at the children's hospital there and provides counseling regarding familial risks, genetic testing, and genetic information to physicians, patients, and families.