Congratulations to the 2026 Psychology Undergraduate Award winners!

July 16, 2026

Congratulations to this year's Psychology Undergraduate Award winners! These awards honour psychology students for their academic excellence, outstanding leadership, and service within the community.

Ashley Ghuman

PSYC Alumni Honours Award
Mary Batchelor Memorial Award

Ashley recently completed her BA (Honours First Class with Distinction) in Psychology. Under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Slaney, her honours thesis examined how published meta-analyses of psychological interventions for internalizing disorders include information about participant characteristics and representational limitations, with a focus on the visibility and absence of marginalized voices and identities within the synthesized evidence base. Ashley currently works on Dr. Atiya Mahmood鈥檚 Aging in the Right Place project, which focuses on older adults who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity. She also volunteers with the Studies in Methodology and Philosophy of Psychological Science Lab and the Helping and Happiness Lab. Outside of research, Ashley virtually mentors rural high school students and works as a behaviour interventionist supporting children and families. Moving forward, Ashley plans to pursue graduate studies while continuing to build on her interests in health equity and community-based research.

Julia Mosi

PSYC Alumni Honours Award
Mary Batchelor Memorial Award

Julia recently completed her BA (Honours First Class with Distinction) in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Under the supervision of Dr. Hali Kil, her honours thesis examined how demographic and contextual factors relate to Canadian newcomers' acculturation attitudes and well-being during settlement. Throughout her degree, she contributed to several research labs, including the All Families Lab, the Helping and Happiness Lab, and the CORTECH Lab. She also volunteered in multiple leadership roles as president of both the Psychology and GSWS Student Unions and supported students as a FASS peer mentor and through the Looking Glass Foundation for Eating Disorders. This fall, she will begin a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at UBC鈥檚 Okanagan campus.

Hillary Han

PSYC Alumni Honours Award

Hillary recently completed her BA (Honours) in Psychology. Under the supervision of Dr. Brianne Kent, her honours project investigated the effects of an antidepressant on memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. This experience deepened her passion for preclinical neuropsychological research, and she hopes to pursue graduate studies in clinical neuropsychology. Outside the lab, Hillary supports other students in sharing their research as a co-manager of SFU鈥檚 Undergraduate Journal of Psychology. She also volunteers with a crisis line and enjoys staying actively involved in her community.

Jayden Sawada

PSYC Alumni Honours Award

Jayden is currently completing their BSc Honours in Behavioural Neuroscience. Their honours thesis was supervised by Dr. John McDonald and involved using EEG (electroencephalography) to understand how the brain attends to stimuli that is spatially and temporally salient. Jayden is a research assistant at the Human Electrophysiology Lab, the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab and an exec-at-large for the Behavioural Neuroscience Student Society. In the future, Jayden hopes to work in healthcare and plans to continue their education at graduate school to become an occupational therapist.

Sheena Chahil

Lorne M. Kendall Memorial Award

Sheena is currently completing her BA Honours in Psychology. Her honours thesis, supervised by Dr. Joanna Peplak, examined how parental autonomy support and children鈥檚 autonomy expression relates to children鈥檚 emerging moral identity development. Currently, Sheena is a research assistant at the Grow to Care lab and the CORTECH lab. She also works part-time as an Orton-Gillingham Practitioner, where she provides literacy support to children with learning and developmental disabilities. Upon completion of her degree, Sheena plans to continue her research, along with pursuing graduate studies in clinical psychology. In the future, her goal is to be a worthy resource for children in need of support.

Tegan Soroka

Crocker Family Award

Tegan recently completed her BA Honours in Psychology (with Distinction). Her honours thesis was supervised by Dr. Brianne Kent and investigated how sleep timing relates to cognitive performance in older adults as a potential risk factor for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. During her time at SFU, Tegan was a research assistant in the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Lab, the Translational Neuroscience Lab, and she will continue as a research assistant in the Together in Dementia Care Lab. Tegan also served as an executive member for the Psychology Student Union, holding several roles including Vice-President and VP Internal. In the future, she plans to pursue graduate school in clinical neuropsychology.

Justin Kwok

Mary Batchelor Memorial Award

Justin recently completed his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Joint Major in Psychology and Business, with a concentration in human resources. Currently, Justin works as an undergraduate teaching assistant for BUS 360W (Business Communication) at the Beedie School of Business. He also serves as the Teaching Support Staff Union representative. Beyond his paid roles, Justin volunteers with SHARE Family and Community Services, where he supports seniors and facilitates English conversation groups. He also provides support to patients in the renal unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital and assists with recreational activities for long-term residents with complex care needs at Adanac Park Lodge. Justin aspires to become a medical social worker and will begin UBC鈥檚 post-baccalaureate Bachelor of Social Work program this fall.

Learn more about our undergraduate awards here.

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Psychology