ALUMNI LAB MEMBERS
Dr. Lora Levett began her research lab at the University of Florida in 2005. Since then, she has worked with a multitude of different students in producing groundbreaking research within the fields of psychology and the law. This is where you can view the past graduate and undergraduate lab members and learn about what they are up to today.
Featured Alumni
Danielle Rapapport
After graduating from UF Law in May of 2018, I began practicing at a law firm in South Florida called GrayRobinson. I am a member of the firm’s Nationwide Alcohol Beverage & Food Law Department. My practice concentrates on advising companies and entrepreneurs in heavily regulated industries, including alcohol beverage, food, cannabis, and tobacco, with regard to compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern the manufacturing, importation, distribution, marketing, sale and consumption of these heavily regulated products. I also handle licensing, compliance, regulatory and business issues for companies and individuals from all three tiers of the alcohol beverage industry.
Caitlin Manzi
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in 2015, I went on to pursue a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Florida State University (completely online and 100% still consider myself a Gator)! I have since been working as a field investigator conducting background investigations on government contractors and military personnel prospects.
Maria Arndt
I'm a PhD student at FIU (Criminology and Criminal Justice), despite my initial desire to go to law school. After working in the psych and law lab, I realized I enjoy research, so I took a research assistantship offer after graduating.
The research I’m currently working on is a MacArthur grant focused on prosecutorial discretion and ameliorating racial and ethnic disparities. Our team works with state and district attorneys in four different jurisdictions to improve their data collection capacity, so they can track their case decisions and identify disparities. We’ve also conducted interviews to get a feel for how the attorneys working the offices perceive racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system.
Since my time at UF, I entered a Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Stetson University and received my M.S. I now am a Registered Mental Health Intern for the state of Florida. I work for a program called New Horizons which is part of the community mental health organization, Aspire Health Partners located in Orlando. I counsel at risk youth in a school based setting. I work with the clients by engaging in prevention activities and therapy intervention sessions addressing substance use, DJJ involvement, anger management and depressive symptoms. My time working in the lab helped me learn so much... sometimes I miss data input (it's a lot better then writing session notes). In my free time I enjoy working out and trying new restaurants in the Orlando area.
Mariah ide
Dain Simpkins
After three years working in the lab, Dain completed his honors thesis on the solicitation of whistleblowing behavior in situations of institutional misconduct. Dain graduated with highest honors and degrees in psychology and criminology, after which he continued his tenure at the University of Florida in attending the Levin College of Law. An award-winning member of the Florida Moot Court team - on which he served as Chair for Education and Training, competed in three moot court competitions ranging in subject matter from Fourth Amendment search and seizure protections to issues of international law, and coached two other competition teams - Dain worked for the law firms of Eisenmenger, Blaue & Peters and Avera & Smith during law school. Upon passing the Florida Bar Exam, Dain will begin working as an Assistant State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, serving the people of Orlando.
Haley Moss
Since my time in the lab, I went to law school at the University of Miami, and can say my time working at the intersection of psychology and law really helped, especially when we did trial skills workshops, since I felt like I understood more about how people make decisions and different biases. I graduated in May 2018, took and passed the Florida Bar Exam, and am now a practicing attorney at Zumpano Patricios in Coral Gables, Florida. Outside of the law, I'm still writing about autism and thinking about another book, and I am also still drawing and speaking.
Jennifer Blasco
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Law from the University of Florida in 2014, I went on to attend Vanderbilt Law School in Nashville, Tennessee. I graduated from law school in May of 2017 and became licensed to practice law in the state of Georgia later that year. I am currently working as an associate in the Commercial Real Estate practice group of Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs LLP in Atlanta, Georgia. As a Commercial Real Estate associate, I am actively involved all stages of a commercial real estate transaction—from due diligence, to deal documentation, to closing. My clients include owners, developers, landlords, and tenants of commercial real estate. My work includes acquisition, disposition, leasing, development, and financing of property. In addition, I am currently serving as the secretary of the Georgia Hispanic Bar Association and I volunteer for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, representing tenants in dispossessory actions.
Kelsey S. Henderson received her PhD in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of Florida in 2016. She was a member of the Levett Psychology-Law Lab from 2011-2016. Kelsey is now an assistant professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Portland State University. Her research examines decision-making in the legal system, specifically focusing on juror decisions about confession evidence (with and without the assistance of system factors) and plea decision-making (factors that influence true and false guilty pleas).
Kelsey Henderson
Taylor kidd
I am pursuing a PhD in Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine. For my master's degree—obtained from UCI—I addressed implicit and explicit perceptions of prosecutors and defense attorneys as (un)trustworthy. Currently, I am working on research examining the efficacy of juvenile diversionary programs using a mixed-methods approach, including interviews with youth and parents/guardians participating in these programs and analyzing youth recidivism rates. After graduate school, I intend to pursue a policy-oriented career with the aim of improving the justice system.
Past Lab Members
