Akiho Semimoto
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Scarsdale, NY
Majors: Biology & Psychology
My name is Akiho Semimoto, and I’m a senior double majoring in biology and psychology. I joined The Humanology Project because I wanted to advocate for mental health awareness and thought THP would be a good platform to help those in need. In my free time, I like to read, game, listen to music, and take care of my plants :).
Breanna Lorenzen
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Williamsburg, IA
Majors: Linguistics & Psychology
Minors: Spanish & Political Science
Hi :)! I am Breanna Lorenzen. I am a double major, double minor, so sleep isn’t in my vocabulary. I joined THP because I have struggled with my mental health for as long as I can remember. The idea of destigmatizing mental illness is so important to me. I have a service dog on campus. Her name is Jinx. You may have seen us around.
Brianna Carnagie
Joined in Fall 2020
Hometown: Queens, NY
Major: Health Science
Minor: Health, Medicine, & Society
I’m a senior in my last semester here at SBU. I joined Humanology because I feel like stigma associated with mental illness is something that doesn’t get talked about enough, and I wanted to play my role in increasing education in this societal issue! In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym and cooking/baking.
Diana Gavrilas
Joined in Fall 2021
Hometown: Queens, NY
Major: Health Science
Minor: Sociology
Hi! My name is Diana, and I am a junior at Stony Brook University majoring in health science and minoring in sociology. I joined The Humanology Project because the negative stigma that is perpetuated by our society about medical issues, diseases, and disorders can really hinder someone’s quality of life. In order to grow as a society, we must be accepting of others and learn to provide comfort and understanding in moments when someone cannot do that for themselves. I want to be a part of this change and bring awareness to this issue. About myself, I love living life as fully as I possibly can, chilling at home with my dog, and watching true crime documentaries!
Farida Olaleye
Joined in Fall 2020
Hometown: Queens, NY
Majors: Psychology & Globalization Studies
Minor: Spanish
My name is Farida Olaleye, and I am a sophomore majoring in psychology and globalization studies/international relations. I joined The Humanology Project because mental health is something that is extremely important to me. Not only does The Humanology Project give me the opportunity to use my skills to help break the stigma of mental illnesses, but it’s also helped me become a better person since I joined this amazing organization. During my free time (what free time?), I like to do many things, but sleeping is the main activity, and a fun fact about me is that I am a polyglot.
Gwendolyn Loubier
Joined in Fall 2021
Hometown: Holtsville, NY
Major: Psychology
Minor: Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Hi! I’m Gwen, a psychology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies student. I joined The Humanology Project in Fall 2021 because I was immediately drawn to their passion for mental health and decreasing the stigma around mental illness. I’m also a huge advocate for outreach and education about these topics, and I really enjoy learning about others’ experiences with their own mental well-being. I’m particularly vocal about suicide prevention and struggles with chronic anxiety. In my free time, I’m taking care of my many plants, reading, and listening to music with my friends :).
Izabela Budzik
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Major: Biology
My name is Izabela Budzik, and I’m a freshman majoring in biology on the pre-health track. I joined The Humanology Project because I firmly believe in our mission to distribute accurate information regarding mental health. As someone who aspires to enter the medical field, increased health literacy is something I am passionate about. Outside of school, I love to spend time with friends and family, read, and work out. I also make trips up to the city with friends.
Lilian Wang
Joined in Fall 2019
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Major: Health Science
Minors: Chemistry & English
My name is Lilian Wang, and I am a senior majoring in health science, with minors in both chemistry and English. I was interested in THP mostly because of our mission; due to my background, mental health was never addressed as an important issue, so I wanted to take my part in breaking this stigma. When I am not studying, I enjoy cooking and watching Netflix!
Marileidy Gonzalez Rivera
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Baní, DR
Major: Biochemistry
Hi! My name is Marileidy Gonzalez, and I’m a senior majoring in biochemistry. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, spending time in nature, and watching Netflix. Another fun fact about me is that I make soap.
Melanie Choe
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Staten Island, NY
Major: Psychology
My name is Melanie Choe, and I am a freshman majoring in psychology on the pre-medical track. I joined The Humanology Project to help spread awareness about the stigmas and misinformation surrounding mental health. Through THP, I can learn about the damage these stigmas have brought to those who endure obstacles that affect their mental and emotional well-being. In my free time, I like to listen to music and hang out with my friends.
Rebecca Chen
Joined in Fall 2021
Hometown: Queens, NY
Majors: Psychology & Business
My name is Rebecca Chen, and I am a freshman studying psychology and business management. I joined The Humanology Project because I wanted to be a part of an organization that aims to change mindsets about mental illnesses. Being a part of Outreach gives me the opportunity to do exactly that. Some of my other passions are bullet journaling, making matcha, and dogs!
Reilly Graupp
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Majors: Psychology & Social Work
My name is Reilly Graupp, and I am a sophomore double majoring in psychology and social work. From a young age, I have had a passion for mental health awareness and advocacy. I wanted to grow my aspirations outside of the classroom and have found this, along with skills development and connections, through The Humanology Project. In my free time, I enjoy going for drives and listening to music.
Rhea Kapoor
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Hong Kong
Major: Psychology
My name is Rhea, and I am a junior majoring in psychology (B.A.) with a concentration in marketing. I joined The Humanology Project because I wanted to help reduce the stigma around mental health and promote healthy ideals. I’m also involved in a lab on campus, under Dr. Peter Caprariello, where I perform my own research. I’m also an active member of Psi Chi, a psychology mentor, and an English Pal. Apart from academics, I love learning languages, playing tennis, hanging out with my friends, going to parties, reading, playing the piano, painting, and watching movies and TV shows!
Ruiting (Toby) Li
Joined in Spring 2021
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Major: Biology
My name is Ruiting, but many people call me Toby. I’m currently a junior majoring in biology. I joined The Humanology Project because I value their mission, and I wanted to join their fight in destigmatizing mental health. I enjoy cooking and playing Tetris in my free time.
Sarah Shardam
Joined in Fall 2020
Hometown: Haledon, NJ
Major: Psychology
Hello there, I am Sarah Shardam, and I am a junior psychology major with a passion for mental health support! I am a freelance illustrator in my free time and am also a huge mental health advocate! I joined Humanology because I was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder at the start of the pandemic, and it changed everything for me. Having and living with such a difficult illness on a day-to-day basis as a full-time college student was rough, and once I understood that there was a community out there that supported the destigmatizing of such mental illnesses, I knew I had to be a part of it. Humanology is such an amazing community of people, and it is one of the best decisions I have made since going to college! I plan to become a therapist in the future, focusing specifically on working with children of all ages!!
Sophia Syed
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Shoreham, NY
Major: Psychology
My name is Sophia Syed, and I am a freshman majoring in psychology. I became a member of The Humanology Project to be able to spread awareness about mental health and especially to destigmatize it within my culture. Some things about me are that I love breakfast, and I like to practice archery in my free time.
Taya Podvorchan
Joined in Spring 2022
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Major: Psychology
Minor: Russian Studies
Most people who meet me immediately know two things about me: I’m on the Stony Brook Dance Team, and I love to read! When I’m not at practice, cheering at basketball/football games, or curled up with a good book, I love to coach at my former gymnastics team, rewatch Marvel movies, and hang out with my friends. I joined The Humanology Project because as a former elite athlete, I saw the toll that ignored mental health and negative stigmas on mental illness gave young athletes. I am extremely passionate about limiting eating disorders and body dysmorphia problems in athletes, whose primary focus should be on being healthy and strong. I’m so excited to be a part of this!
Thanaree Darncharnjitt
Joined in Fall 2021
Hometown: Queens, NY
Major: Linguistics
Hello, my name is Thanaree, and I am in my senior year. I am currently studying linguistics and working towards becoming a speech language pathologist. I believe that mental health awareness is crucial in this field, and The Humanology Project’s aim resonates with me for this reason. Joining this organization gives me the opportunity to be more aware of mental health illnesses and helps with supporting some of the patients I may be working with throughout my career. Some topics regarding mental health that I really enjoy looking into are those that are commonly misconstrued, such as schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder. Some of my hobbies include meeting new people and learning new things from them. I also enjoy watching cooking videos on YouTube and swimming during my free time. These are my go-to methods to de-stress when overwhelmed.