Building Knowledge for Policy and Practice in Southern New Jersey
Student Staff
Gaining Real-World Experience
Each day, we build upon a base of knowledge for good policy and practice in South Jersey, and we work to address issues that impact residents and local organizations through applied research, community engagement and organizational development. Through this work, we connect scores of talented students from diverse backgrounds with opportunities to connect with stakeholders in local communities and tackle real-world challenges.
Vasiliki Gallicchio
Vasiliki Gallicchio (Bessy) is a research assistant supporting the Cumberland County Positive Youth Development Coalition, a county-wide effort focused on decreasing juvenile delinquency in Cumberland County.
Bessy is pursuing a master of arts in Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Camden, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and sociology in 2016. Previously, she has worked on the Pascale Sykes Foundation South Jersey Strengthening Families Initiative.
Richard Duran is a research assistant on the Research and Evaluation team.
Richard is currently pursuing a master of arts in Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Camden, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with minors in psychology and sociology. He is also bi-lingual in Spanish and English.
Trista Harig serves as a graduate research assistant focusing on grant acquisition, background research, data collection, analysis, and several other roles as a member of the Research and Evaluation team.
She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in psychology at Rutgers University-Camden. In 2019, Trista received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Azusa Pacific University. Her research interests are in social psychology and focus on prejudice, discrimination, inter-group dynamics, and multiculturalism. As a member of Dr. Charlotte Markey’s lab, she is currently investigating stigmatization and discriminatory attitudes toward overweight and obese individuals in the workplace. Following her master’s, Trista plans to pursue a doctorate in social psychology.
Sonja Hunter serves as a graduate research assistant on the Research and Evaluation team.
Sonja completed her bachelors of arts degree in French and psychology at the University of North Texas. Currently she is working in Dr. Paynes EEG lab at Rutgers University, where she is completing her master’s in psychology. Sonja is interested in researching Autism Spectrum Disorders and social cognition. After graduation, she aims to pursue a doctorate in cognitive psychology.
Joseph Mendoza is research assistant on the Research and Evaluation team.
Joseph is pursuing his undergraduate degree in the Health Sciences program at Rutgers-Camden and was recently accepted into the BA/MPH program at Jefferson University. At present, Joseph is working on the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance Community Conversations project.
Lili Razi is a graduate assistant working on community development, spatial changes, and strategic planning. She is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Public Affairs with a focus on Community Development.
Currently, Lili is working on the Holly City/Millville strategic planning initiative at WRI. This project helps to develop housing strategies and policies that increase home ownership, reduce vacant properties, and attract new home buyers. She is also involved with “A New View” – a Bloomberg public art instillation that transforms lots where illegal dumping is happening into artistic spaces. Given her background in urban and community engagement practices, she hopes to participate in capacity development and shape effective urban public policies in areas of need.
Ben Rudolph is a graduate research assistant on the Research and Evaluation team.
Ben received his bachelor of science in psychology from SUNY Oneonta and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in psychology at Rutgers University-Camden. His research interests are in social psychology, moral psychology, and the determinants of strongly held beliefs. He works in Dr. Ira Roseman’s Emotion lab.
Shwetal Sharma serves as a graduate research assistant focused on data collection and analysis with the Research and Evaluation team.
She is pursing her master’s degree in Psychology at Rutgers University-Camden. She is currently working in Dr. Ira Roseman’s Emotions Lab and her research interests are in emotion and psychopathology. She completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Fergusson College, India, and aspires to become a doctor in Clinical Psychology in the future.
Michelle Stofford serves as a graduate research assistant.
Michelle recently defended her dissertation and will graduate from the Rutgers University Childhood Studies PhD program May, 2021. Michelle’s research focuses on how phones and social media play a role in the victimization and criminalization of young people in the Juvenile Justice system. Michelle is a qualitative researcher who incorporates digital methodologies with ethnographic and youth led methods. As a practitioner, Michelle worked with victims and offenders of serious youth violence in London for 10 years. She is the Co-Author of the Growing Against Violence curriculum which is the largest evidenced based violence prevention program in Europe. Michelle will join Widener University as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice in Fall 2021.
Gabrielle is a research assistant working on the evaluation of the Boys and Girls Club Vimenti School in Puerto Rico.
Gabrielle is completing her master’s degrees in Public Administration and Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Camden. Her research interests include juvenile justice reform, especially from the angle of holistic delinquency prevention, and organizational behavior.
Aayush is a graduate research assistant who works closely with Dr. Allred to design statistical models for generating actionable insights into public health data.
Currently, he is pursing a master’s in Computer Science, and has research interests are Optimization and the Analysis of Algorithms. View his work and credentials here.
Shibin is a graduate research assistant supporting several projects as an analyst and researcher. He is analyzing secondary data of the community health needs assessment and assisting faculty fellow Dr. Melanie Bowers with research on housing services for those experiencing homelessness.
Shibin is currently pursuing his doctorate in Public Affairs at Rutgers University-Camden. His research interest includes elderly care, public health, policy evaluation, and anti-corruption. He worked for a think tank in China for two years to secure professional training in policy analysis. After graduation, he intends to work as a research consultant.
Vasiliki Gallicchio (Bessy) is a research assistant supporting the Cumberland County Positive Youth Development Coalition, a county-wide effort focused on decreasing juvenile delinquency in Cumberland County.
Richard Duran is a research assistant on the Research and Evaluation team.
Ben Rudolph is a graduate research assistant on the Research and Evaluation team. 
Aayush is a graduate research assistant who works closely with Dr. Allred to design statistical models for generating actionable insights into public health data.
Shibin is a graduate research assistant supporting several projects as an analyst and researcher. He is analyzing secondary data of the community health needs assessment and assisting faculty fellow Dr. Melanie Bowers with research on housing services for those experiencing homelessness.