Rochelle managed this academic success while competing on the Mason Cross Country and Track and Field Team. In recognition of her academic and athletic successes, she was twice named a Mason Scholar Athlete of the Year and a national Academic All-American.
She has served as a research assistant in the labs of two Mason professors. In Dr. Rojahn's lab, she administers screening tests and uses eye-tracking software and is working on her honors thesis, Eye Gaze in Infants and Toddlers as a Potential Risk Factor for Autism Spectrum Disorder. In Dr. Riskind's lab, she joins a team of graduate students on a project focused on protective factors for suicide.
Rochelle applies what she's learning in the classroom and research labs as a volunteer in the Mason LIFE prorgam. Though college-age, Mason LIFE students have disabilities that preclude their admission to a university. As Rochelle says, "It provides opportunities to students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to pursue a post high school education." Her volunteer work has led to a permanent position in the program.
Rochelle is a member of the honor societies Psi Chi and Phi Kappa Phi. She was awarded the Dean’s Challenge Scholarship for 2012-2013.
Currently, Rochelle just started her third year in the Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience program here at Mason and also has a neuropsychology externship at the National Institutes of Health for this academic year.