The Psychology & Neuroscience department is pleased to announce the 2021-22 Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs), as well as honor the accomplishments of our Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs) from the 2020-21 cohort. Our Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs) are a group of outstanding undergraduate students who were selected to gain teaching and mentorship experience in Introductory Psychology (PSY 101), one of Duke’s largest undergraduate courses. The Costanzo TFs plan and lead sections for the PSY 101 class, as well as provide one-on-one mentorship to students on a semester-long research and writing project.
Congratulations to the 2021-22 Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs). This year’s selection process was highly competitive, with more than 60 applications from outstanding candidates.
2021-22 Costanzo Teaching Fellows
| Sydney Albert | Arjun Bakshi | Parker Betts | Alexi Braun |
| Gabriella Braun | Priyanka Fernandes | Astrid Giblin | Sonia He |
| Zachary Holtz | Adam Nawrocki | Nicole Pashalis | Tatum Riley |
| Camila Saavedra | Madeleine Scully | Evelyn Sturrock | Aaron Williams |
This past year, the Costanzo Teaching Fellows taught in ways no TF had ever taught before, socially distanced and online, and worked tirelessly to create a sense of supportive community for their students. Although all of the Costanzo TFs are deeply appreciated by their students, several received special teaching awards designed to highlight the core teaching values of the program.
The department honored two winners of the Innovative Educator Award, who brought concepts to life in section through creative, stimulating, and inspiring activities and discussions that made the content vivid, personal, and relevant.
Ebehiremhen Izkokun, Class of 2021, Psychology major
A student nominator wrote: “I have never had a teacher with this much energy or love for a subject in my life. You could tell Ebehi loved psychology and every day during class she would pass that love onto us, her students. Watching Ebehi’s face light up every time she talked about psychology really spiked my interest in the subject. I knew discussion every week would be a place where psychology would come to life.”
Aren Tucker,Class of 2022, Double major in Psychology and Philosophy
A student who nominated Aren wrote “I have never believed someone cares so much about me as a person even though he was supposed to just be my TF. He created an environment where every individual believed whole-heartedly that they were loved. How? Over zoom? It was just so amazing to see him actually teach us, but still treat us like people that mattered outside of a school context."
The department also honored two winners of the Exceptional Mentor Award who supported students with outstanding feedback and advice on the Research and Writing Project, and/or with one-on-one advising regarding various academic choices or problems.
Maya Parker, Class of 2021 Psychology major.
In nominating Maya, one student wrote “She provided me with extremely helpful advice, ideas, and a course of action regarding my R&W. Reading my final draft, I could tell that my ideas and R&W as a whole had improved/evolved greatly due to my application of her recommended ideas/comments, especially because she brought to light many ideas that I hadn't thought of or had overlooked.”
Ameya Sanyal, Class of 2021, Double major in Psychology and Global Health
A student who nominated Ameya wrote: “She provided amazing feedback that really allowed me to expand on my original R&W draft. Overall, with anything I needed, Ameya was always there. She was always super supportive and understanding and I really appreciated that always.”
The department also congratulates all of the 2020-2021 Costanzo Teaching Fellows for their hard work and dedication to ensuring a high-quality learning experiences for students in Introductory Psychology, our department’s important gateway course.
2020-2021 Costanzo Teaching Fellows
| Gabby Bunnel | Toby Chen | Connie Dean | Emily Guinee |
| Cate Hurley | Ebehiremhen Izokun | Janette Levin | Sydny Long |
| Conner McLeod | Ryan McMutry | Urmi Pandya | Maya Parker |
| Ameya Sanyal | Aren Tucker | Anav Vedi | Michael Xie |
