Rista is a postdoctoral fellow with MindCORE at the University of Pennsylvania. She has a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She spent 2 years doing at a post-bac at the National Institute of Mental Health before returning to UW-Madison to complete her PhD in psychology. Rista studies social and emotional development and how mechanisms that promote learning help individuals understand and make predictions about social information. She is passionate about supporting students interested in graduate school and promoting diverse perspectives, which strengthen scientific fields. Becoming a parent in graduate school, Rista has experience trying to navigate family and the demands of graduate school. She is excited to help students, who will each have their own unique circumstances, work toward their aspirations.