Karis Roberts (’26)

Karis Roberts (she/her) is a Penn State senior majoring in Psychology, with a minor in Biology. Toward her ultimate goal of becoming a child psychiatrist, Karis has pursued several interdisciplinary experiences during her time at Penn State. To gain research experience, she worked as a research assistant in the Sensory Evaluation Lab, analyzing saliva samples to evaluate individuals’ responses to the heat-producing compound capsaicin. In line with her goal to work with children in the future, she became a group leader in Friendship Group, an intervention designed by Dr. Karen Bierman to strengthen social-emotional skills, peer relationships, and behavioral regulation among children experiencing difficulty with friendships. Through her work with Friendship Group, Karis learned about and became involved with We Are Connected, another group-based intervention targeting connection and belonging among college students. Karis first joined We Are Connected as a student, then became a group facilitator. These experiences have enabled her to translate evidence-based clinical principles into developmentally meaningful interactions with both children and emerging adults.

Beyond her research and clinical experiences, Karis serves as President of the Centre Helps Campus Club, where she is also a hotline counselor and trainer. Additionally, she is the Senior Family Relations Chair for Boulevard, a special interest organization supporting Penn State’s childhood cancer philanthropy THON. Finally, Karis is a tutor at the Penn State Educational Equity Center and created the Helping Hands in Healthcare club, which provides mentorship for students aspiring to attend medical school.

Following graduation, Karis hopes to pursue medical school to become a child psychiatrist and continue working with children and adolescents in need of support, empathy, and safety. Her specific research interest is in focusing on trauma in adolescence and how this alters cognition and socio-emotional responses.

The CSC wishes Karis all the best in her future academic pursuits!