DEI Partners

DEI Junior Fellows

DEI Fellows

DEI Senior Fellows

DEI APA Minority Fellow

Postgraduate Fellows

Dr. Veronique Thompson (she/her/hers)
DEI Director, Clinical (PsyD) Program

Dr. Veronique Thompson is a licensed clinical psychologist, tenured faculty member of the Wright Institute and director of clinical training at Carl B. Metoyer Center for Family Counseling in East Oakland. She received her BA in psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta and her Ph.D. from U.C., Berkeley. Her advanced professional training has been in Narrative Therapy and Social Justice Therapy.

Dr. Thompson is originally from the East Coast. She was raised in a working-class, large extended family, in Boston. She is first-generation college, an avid dancer, a yoga enthusiast, and a plant-based eater. She lives in Oakland, in a multigenerational family home with her mother, sister, son, nephew and cat.

Her core professional interests lie within African-American and other communities of color, helping to increase positive mental health and to train others who share this commitment. She brings this same commitment to her work in the office of DEI, helping the Wright to fulfill its mission of “Educating Clinicians to [a more socially just] Society.”

Dr. Karen Egu

Karen Egu, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. She earned her BS degree in neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside and her Psy.D. from the Wright Institute. Her professional training has been in both inpatient and outpatient settings, working with populations across the lifespan.

Dr. Egu's clinical interests are steeped in anxiety disorders, trauma, psychotic spectrum disorders, and psychological assessments from an integrated and culturally informed approach.

Dr. Egu understands the importance of representation, mentorship, and advocacy on behalf of marginalized communities. This value system informs her commitment and work within the DEI Office.

Dr. Marriam Zarabi (she/her)

Marriam Zarabi, Psy.D., served as a DEI Fellow while she was a student at the Wright Institute. Her clinical training includes outpatient settings and community mental health clinics. She enjoys translating Western clinical interventions to support diverse populations and in pursuit of culturally responsive care. Farsi is her first language. She cherishes the opportunity to collaboratively broaden the nature and scope of working as a Clinician to Society.

DEI Senior Fellows

Ivy Capshaw (she/her)

Ivy is a fourth-year doctoral student at the Wright Institute. She is a queer, bicultural Mexican-American woman dedicated to advancing social justice through her clinical, scholarly, and advocacy work. Driven by a commitment to providing accessible mental health care to marginalized communities, her primary focus lies in supporting individuals and families affected by intergenerational, racial, and systemic trauma. Her clinical experience includes working with adults facing substance use and co-occurring disorders in community settings, adolescents with a diverse range of mental health concerns in school-based programs, at-risk youth in a community setting, and individuals impacted by systemic racism and oppression in community settings.

Ivy is a full-time mental health clinician at Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, where she works with individuals and families across the lifespan who present with complex trauma or PTSD and are impacted by the carceral system. Her primary population includes previously incarcerated individuals and youth on probation. Drawing from her training in restorative justice practices and facilitating RJ healing circles, Ivy serves as the Restorative Justice point person at the Wright Institute through the DEI program. She also has part-time experience as a Clinical Coordinator and clinician at Carl B. Metoyer Center for Family Counseling in Oakland. Her dissertation research delves into the narratives of young adults who experienced parental incarceration and disenfranchised grief during early childhood. In her free time, Ivy enjoys spending time with loved ones, reading voraciously and exploring bookstores, writing prose and poetry, consuming and creating art, unwinding near the ocean, and rewinding with coffee.

Summer Hadla

Summer is a fourth year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at the Wright Institute. Summer's identity as an Arab Muslim American is the cornerstone of her passion to work with incarcerated Muslims. She has previously worked for the Tayba Foundation, helping create a program that provides support to women who are reentering into society after incarceration. She is also completing her dissertation on faith & religiosity for Muslims after incarceration. Summer works from a trauma-informed lens, and hopes to one day become a forensic expert witness and support those who have not been given equal opportunity. She is currently conducting neuropsychological assessments with adolescents and adults at Savera Psychological Services. She also serves as an Advanced Clinic Mentor at the Wright Institute CBT Clinic. As a DEI fellow, Summer hopes to bring awareness and reduce stigma of religion at the Wright Institute while also encouraging open dialogue and discussion about difficult topics. Outside of school, Summer enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to the beach, reading, cooking and baking, and trying new foods!

Karina Williams

Karina Williams is a fourth-year senior fellow working on her PsyD at the Wright Institute. She identifies as a first generation Caribbean American and in the future she hopes to serve marginalized communities, people of color, and those who have less access to resources or mental wellness. Her clinical training has consisted of supporting the high school students of Greenwood Academy, LGBTQ+ and HIV affected adults through the UCSF Alliance Health Project, disability affected families and children at Through the Looking Glass, and serious mental illness impacted adults at Villa Fairmont. Beyond her clinical work, Karina is a passionate reader, writer, music player, painter, and —most importantly— a bird mom.

DEI Fellows

Alisha Ahmed

Alisha Ahmed is a third-year clinical psychology doctoral student at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She is a first-generation Muslim Pakistani American who is deeply committed to facilitating holistic healing for individuals from marginalized and underrepresented communities such as her own. Her passion is rooted in representing, empowering, and uplifting the diverse populations she serves. Alisha holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Islamic Studies from Zaytuna College and a Diploma in Islamic Psychology from Cambridge Muslim College. She also formerly interned at the Stanford Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology Lab. Her clinical training has included working with clients in school-based and community mental health settings using various therapeutic modalities including Narrative and Psychodynamic Therapy. She is currently training at an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital. At the Wright Institute, Alisha served as her cohort’s representative on the Clinical Program Executive Committee, co-led the 2023 Multicultural Symposium titled “Decolonizing Psychology,” and currently co-leads the SWANA-M student group. This year, she is excited to join the DEI office as a fellow! Outside of her academic and clinical work, Alisha enjoys traveling, exploring nature, managing her small business, eating chocolate chip cookies, and spending time with loved ones.

Dyana Lam

Dyana Lam is a fourth-year PsyD student at the Wright Institute and received her BA in Psychology and minor in Human Development from UC Davis. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she is a first-generation, queer, Vietnamese/Chinese American woman passionate about serving at-promise youth and families throughout the bay. Dyana’s clinical training has informed her commitment to uplifting underrepresented and marginalized voices while fostering safety and inclusivity within clinical and educational spaces. She is also a co-leader for the First Generation Student Group at the Wright which provides a nurturing space for first-gen students to feel seen and supported while navigating higher education. Dyana is currently working at a private practice in San Francisco providing psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and young adults. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, mushroom foraging, being by the ocean, listening to R&B, and cuddling with her two cats, Shumai and Hargow.

Ali Manrique

Ali Manrique (she/her) is a third year doctoral student at the Wright Institute. She is a first-generation student and identifies as a proud bilingual Peruana. She received her B.A. in Psychology and minor in Education from UC Berkeley in 2018. After graduating UC Berkeley, she had experience working as a youth case manager, a mental health counselor, and an IEP legal advocate for high schools in Oakland. During her doctoral education journey at the Wright Institute, she has worked with primarily first-generation BIPOC students in middle school, high school, and college settings. She is currently a co-facilitator for the Latinx Student Group, as well as a graduate mentor for the Psychology Internship Program, supporting BIPOC first generation college-bound high schoolers who are interested in Psychology. Ali is committed to helping BIPOC communities have access to equitable mental health services and demystify higher education for first-generation youth.

Anthony Ramirez

Anthony Ramirez is a third year student at the Wright Institute with a BA in Psychology from Humboldt State University. As a Mexican American, Anthony has taken initiative in building a bridge between his culture and mental health. Currently he is involved as a co-facilitator in the Latinx Student Group at the Wright Institute, and mentoring high school students with interest in Psychology through the Child Mind Institute. The focus is building collaborative, supportive, and culturally appropriate services for monolingual Spanish speaking families and assisting families that have children diagnosed with developmental disabilities. His clinical experience includes multiple years as a behavioral technician, as well as individual and family therapy through previous practicums. He is currently at Adolescent Counseling Services for Community Counseling, and the dissertation focus is in Latino father’s experiences with daughters diagnosed with Autism.

Alma Karina Riggs

Alma immigrated to Texas at the age of eight from Tamaulipas, México. Despite her move, she continued to spend summers with her maternal grandmother in Mexico, where she first encountered Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams. The early exposure sparked her lifelong interest in psychoanalytic literature, particularly its applications of social justice principles to psychodynamic therapy. Eventually, she began her graduate studies in 2022 at the Wright Institute Clinical Psychology program. After a year of clinical training at the WI Recovery Clinic, where she provided therapy to individuals with co-occurring mental health issues like substance use disorder and trauma, Alma furthered her clinical work at the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco. There, she served systems-impacted families by offering trauma-informed psychotherapy in English and Spanish. Alma enjoys supporting future Latine clinical psychologists by co-facilitating "Consulta Clínica," a group for PsyD students interested in serving Spanish-speaking communities. Alma graduated with honors from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, where she majored in psychology and history. Her love of writing poetry in Spanglish captures the complexities of the immigration experience from México to the United States. As a DEI Fellow, Alma actively engages in DEI initiatives. This year, Alma is a psychological trainee at HealthRIGHT 360 in the specialty mental health services program in San Francisco. She is also excited to represent her 3rd-year cohort on the Diversity Committee, a part of the Clinical Program Governance at the Wright Institute.

McKayla Roberts

McKayla Roberts, 4th year doctoral candidate and co-lead of Black Student-Union at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, mental health teletherapist based in Omaha, Nebraska, and boy mom! Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Montclair State University.

McKayla’s clinical experience encompasses a broad spectrum, spanning across diverse age groups, with a particular emphasis on serving individuals, couples, and families within the Black community. Her therapeutic engagements have addressed multifaceted issues including depression, complex posttraumatic stress disorder, postpartum depression, grief, adaptation challenges, and chronic medical conditions such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension, type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Moreover, she has adeptly navigated cases involving anxiety stemming from familial dynamics, exposure to cultural trauma, academic pressures, trauma-related obsessive-compulsive disorder, social communication difficulties, specific eating disorders, and performance anxiety within sports contexts. McKayla employs a trauma-informed and culturally affirming approach, tailoring interventions to align with the unique needs and cultural backgrounds of her clients, while remaining attuned to systemic barriers that may impede their well-being.

McKayla strives to provide culturally humble care and address mental health challenges within Black and Brown communities. Her goal is to create psychological welcoming spaces reminiscent of familiar settings like family dinner tables, hair salons, and barbershops – such spaces are known for embodying joy, genuine connection, and deep conversations. She plans to focus on underserved communities, offering direct assistance to those historically mistreated within the carceral system.

DEI Partners

Maya Kaplan (they/them)

Maya is a second-year doctoral student at the Wright Institute, holding a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley and an MS in Education from Johns Hopkins University. They are Mexican-American and will be co-facilitating the Consulta Clínica elective in the upcoming Winter and Spring trimesters. They are also a co-facilitator of the Latinx club for the 2024-2025 school year.

Currently training at the Wright Institute Clinic (WIC), they are excited to deepen their understanding of psychoanalysis and trauma-informed care, particularly with under-resourced and culturally diverse communities. Previously, they worked with community college students as part of the first-year College Wellness practicum placement. They also have four years of teaching experience in urban elementary schools and worked at UC Berkeley's Family and Culture Lab. Maya is passionate about expanding their therapeutic practice to Spanish-speaking populations with a specific interest in serving Latinx immigrants. They are interested in doing their dissertation on neurodivergent pet grief. In their free time, Maya enjoys going to the movies, theater performances, concerts, and spending time with friends.

Ayo Olu-Odumosu

Ayo Odumosu is a 2nd year PsyD student at the Wright Institute with a BA in psychology from UC Berkeley. She is a first generation Nigerian-American who is dedicated to social justice, decolonial modalities, and liberation psychology. Ayo is passionate about providing accessible mental health care to QTBIPOC and immigrant communities by helping individuals understand their positionality within their unique social-political contexts, as these contexts directly influence their psychological adjustment and wellbeing. In her free time, Ayo enjoys spending time with loved ones, dancing with her friends, and making performance art visuals.

Shah Shepherd

Shah is a second-year PsyD student from Portland raised in Alaska. He has lived in the Bay Area for over a decade. Shah earned an AA-T in Psychology and an AA in Behavioral Health Sciences from City College of San Francisco before transferring to UCSD, where he completed his BA in Psychology with a minor in Human Developmental Sciences.

Shah’s clinical experience includes working with college students facing various mental health concerns through the Wright Institute College Wellness program. His current practicum is at Sutter Alta Bates Herrick Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital. With over 25 years as a hairstylist, Shah previously worked as a Case Manager supporting homeless transitional-aged youth.

His professional interests include understanding the experiences of underrepresented communities and developing integrative approaches to healing and coping. Shah enjoys mentoring, traveling, volunteering, cooking, styling hair, composing poetry, and tending to his plants in his spare time.

DEI Junior Fellows

Joy Ding (they/them)

Joy Ding is a first-year PsyD student at the Wright Institute, transitioning into the field of psychology after 14 years in technology and the arts. While working as a product manager at Google and Twitter, they often struggled with the ethical implications of their work, most intensely when leading Twitter’s misinformation team after the 2016 elections. The personal mental health challenges that Joy faced during this period led them to step away from technology and spend several years focusing on their art practice and working at a non-profit arts organization. Over time, reflecting on their own mental health journey solidified their commitment to pursuing a career in psychology and offering the same kind of transformative care they had received to others.

Born in Shanghai and living in Canada, the U.S, and Japan throughout their childhood and early adulthood gave Joy an embodied appreciation for cultural diversity. As a non-binary person, they are deeply committed to improving access to gender-affirming care, driven by their own experiences navigating mental health systems that often overlook queer and trans communities.

This year, Joy is excited about their practicum placement at Through the Looking Glass (TLG), where they will support families with disabilities. As a new parent of two young kids, they feel a strong connection to creating more collaborative and inclusive care models for individuals and families facing severe mental health challenges.

Carsten Fisher

Carsten Fisher is a behaviorist by training, and a passionate psychedelic and drug harm reductionist, researcher, and educator. Born in South Africa and raised in the South, Carsten’s professional journey of holding the liminal space of finding belonging and liberation, is a reflection of their personal journey through young adulthood. Carsten has been a student of psychedelic-assisted healing modalities like MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, and is a mentor to psychedelic-assisted therapy providers. Carsten’s personal and professional passion is grounded in the service of Black & non-Black persons of color, and LGBTQIA+ communities - prioritizing accessibility, equity, and community-centered liberation practices. In his spare time, Carsten enjoys playing tennis, studying philosophy, reading fantasy novels, and spending time with friends and family.

Cristina Schessler De la Garza (she/her)

Cris is a first-year graduate student pursuing her PsyD at the Wright Institute. From her time working for Doctors Without Borders in Mexico, she developed a passion for serving refugees and people who have endured the migratory route and hopes to be able to support immigrants in the community through psychological services. With eight years of experience working in the education field in various roles including educator and elementary school counselor, and a masters in school counseling, she is excited to make the transition into a clinical setting. Cristina’s current practicum placement is at the Wright Institute Recovery Clinic where she is committed to grow in her skills and knowledge to support folks with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

DEI APA Fellows

Yves-Yvette Evans

Yves-Yvette Evans, MA, MPH is an American Psychological Association Predoctoral Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (MHSAS) Fellow and a fourth-year doctoral student at The Wright Institute. She completed her BA in psychology at Xavier University of Louisiana and earned an MPH in public health, with a concentration in maternal and child health from UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, she worked as a Senior Associate Research Scientist and focused on global health and birth equity research.

Her clinical interests include neuropsychology, neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, evidenced-based interventions to treat childhood and family trauma, and assessment. She is currently a neuropsychology extern in the Center for Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment (CNaP) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, and is also an extern in the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children's National Hospital. Upon completing her doctorate, Yves plans to situate her work within underserved communities, providing neuropsychological assessment and trauma-informed care to children and their families.

Grace Liu

Grace Liu is a third-year doctoral student at the Wright Institute. She received the APA Minority Fellowship and aims to work with BIPOC communities in healthcare and community settings. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. double major in biology and psychology where she also worked in a research lab that examined the effects of DBT on mothers with Borderline Personality Disorder. Grace aims to provide trauma-informed care to various populations, including adolescents and older adults. Her interests include health psychology, decreasing the mental health stigma in Asian communities, and trauma processing. She is currently a psychological trainee at Sutter Alta Bates Hospital where she works in the inpatient adolescent and adult units. Grace is also part of the Wright Institute Assessment Clinic where she provides comprehensive psychological assessments. Her dissertation examines the associations between acculturation stress in immigrants with autoimmune diseases.

Mariana Rodriguez

Mariana is an APA MFP Fellow and a third-year doctoral student at The Wright Institute. She is a Venezuelan immigrant and graduated from Tufts University with a BS in psychology. In her first two years of the program, she worked at the Wright Institute Recovery Clinic and the Wright Institute Psychodynamic Clinic doing individual, couples, and group therapy with adults. Her current practicum is at the Pediatric Multidisciplinary Assessment Clinic (MDAC) at San Francisco General Hospital, where she conducts assessments for underserved children with a range of neuropsychological and developmental conditions including ASD and ADHD. Her dissertation research will be focused on examining the relationship between the quality of parent-child relationships on children’s levels of psychological resilience, specifically in Latinx immigrants with trauma. Mariana has a broad range of interests including psychoanalytic theory, complex trauma, child psychology, immigration, and forensics, and seeks to work relationally with multicultural patients.