Community Research Group Members
Gabriella Cawley, Graduate Student
Gabriella Cawley is a doctoral student in Psychology at Georgetown University. She is pursuing a concentration in Human Development and Public Policy and is concurrently enrolled in the McCourt School's Master of Public Policy program. Prior to her graduate studies, she earned a BS in Human Development with Distinction from Cornell University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of psychology and the law, including such topics as risk taking in adolescence, developmentally appropriate practices in juvenile justice, and community-based justice initiatives.
Grace Hickman, Lab Manager
Grace Hickman is the lab manager for the Community Research Group at Georgetown University. Before her post-baccalaureate role, she graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University. She is particularly interested in topics where safety and autonomy must be balanced, like violence risk assessment, protection orders, and civil commitment, as well as work with incarcerated sexual and gender minorities. Grace hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the fall of 2025.
Sydney Abele, Thesis Student
Sydney is a senior studying government and psychology with a minor in Spanish. She is from New Jersey right outside of Philadelphia and is planning to go to law school and introduce more psychological knowledge into the justice system.
BeKah Powell, research assistant
Bekah is a junior studying Psychology and Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is from Montana and hopes to pursue an education and career in forensic psychology. She is interested more specifically in studying the criminalization of mental illness – specifically substance use disorders – and the effects of the justice/prison systems on treatment, recovery, and relapse.
Mara Lewis, research Assistant
Mara is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences intending to study Psychology and minor in Education, Inquiry, and Justice. She is currently involved in the Protective Orders Project and is interested in exploring how implicit bias impacts individuals’ experiences within various legal structures. One day, she hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology and provide mental health care and support to groups that are often overlooked.
Zoe Wen, research assistant
Zoe Wen is a third-year student at Georgetown University studying government, psychology, and statistics. She is interested in the intersection of law, advocacy, and policy and how to achieve equitable and sustainable change through an interdisciplinary approach that recognizes systemic inequities and individual-level factors. She is passionate about learning from and collaborating with impacted communities and individuals to improve existing institutions and build equitable solutions from the ground up.