Lauren Radesi

Psychology

Lauren is an excellent student, as evidenced by her membership in both Psi Chi and Phi Beta Kappa. Outside the classroom she, in her own words, "had amazing opportunities to partake in independent and collaborative research." She served as a research assistant in both Dr. Sarah Garcia’s Stetson Clinical Neuropsychology Lab and Dr. Chris Ferguson’s Psychotechnology Lab. In 2022, she was awarded a SURE Grant to conduct research under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Eskenazi and advanced that work for her independent senior research project. The ambitious project involved examining the effects of virtual reality nature‐based therapy on mental health and cognition in college students. One of her mentors noted, "Lauren is a clever researcher with excellent skills in research design and data analysis." Apparently, he was correct. She presented her study at the Southeastern Psychology Association Annual Meeting in April and was awarded the Psi Chi Regional Research Award. To honor her research successes, the department faculty selected Lauren as this year’s recipient of its "Excellence in Research" award. During her junior year, Lauren completed an internship at Devereaux Advanced Behavioral Health, where she gained experience in behavioral therapy.

Currently, she holds a job as a psychometrist at a psychology and counseling center, where she administers and scores neuropsychological tests. She will continue her education with the goal of earning a PhD in clinical psychology but will first take a gap year to gain more experience in the field, as well as to serve in ministry.