For this month’s student spotlight, I sat with Rima, our second IEDP UNESCO ‘23/’24 fellow and first-year master’s student from Syria whose interdisciplinary interests in psychology and education have brought her to the IEDP. Rima is laser-focused on pursuing a career in Clinical Psychology in order to offer mental health and special education support to underprivileged and underrepresented communities, including Syrian refugee populations.
While we’re just two months into our first semester, Rima has already scouted and established herself in spaces pioneering research and innovation at the intersection of psychology and education. In addition to her full-time student workload, Rima volunteers at the Boundaries of Anxiety and Depression Laboratory and works as a clinical research assistant on The KeepCalm Project with Dr. Heather Joy Nuske.
The KeepCalm Project is developing and testing the KeepCalm app, a mental health app designed to be an interactive learning and data collection tool to facilitate the emotional regulation of students on the autism spectrum. Teachers record challenging behaviors they encounter from students in class and in turn, the app is able to recommend strategies to help teachers support their students through these challenging behaviors. As a clinical research assistant, Rima’s work on the project involves coordinating a randomized controlled trial of the KeepCalm App. She recruits and maintains relationships with school teachers, trains them on using the app, interviews participants, and offers in-class app support.
“My work with the KeepCalm app specifically addresses deescalating stress, supporting proactive coping skills, and preventing challenging behaviors of students on the autism spectrum within a school setting.”
The IEDP’s seminar-style classes are a departure from the lecture-based classes that Rima became used to during her undergrad. While different, she is pleased with the discussion-based approach sharing, “The IEDP shocked me in a positive way! I have appreciated getting to know my cohortmates through group discussions and in-class activities.”
Beyond her academic interests and endeavors, Rima loves a sunset walk, bubble tea, baking and describes herself as a “Tiktok kid”, who has been loyal to the app ever since it was Musical.ly. Here’s a TikTok she put together during her Penn Alternative Break experience last year, as an undergrad studying abroad. On the Alternative Break, she helped beautify a trashed and abandoned greenhouse in Queens, NY. It was this study abroad experience at Penn last year that ultimately sealed the deal for the IEDP when she was considering various Master’s acceptance packages.
The International Educational Development Program 