2023 RJPG Interns
Emily Aron
Emily grew up playing basketball and always deeply loved sports and what they represented. Through life's ups & downs, she also became very passionate about mental health and wanted to contribute to its destigmatization. Emily really hopes to use this career path to assist athletes in reaching their full potential in and outside of sports.
Emily moved from Western Massachusetts to Miami to attend Barry University in the summer of 2021. This May, Emily will graduate with her MS in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology under the guidance of Dr. Kimberly Shaffer. During her time at Barry University, Emily worked with one of their Division II Teams as their sports psych consultant. She also co-founded a Women's in Leadership Development seminar for female student-athletes.
Alexis Jensen
Alexis Jensen is a Masters student at Adams State Univeristy currently studying Applied Sport Psychology. Prior to Adams State, she attended William Penn University earning a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Kinesiology, emphasizing Wellness and Recreation.
Growing up in Iowa, Alexis played many different sports, including basketball, softball, soccer, and volleyball. While in college, she continued playing volleyball.
With the desire to help others reach their full potential, Alexis has been an athletic coach for seven years and an academic coach for three years. When she is not working,she enjoys running, traveling, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.
2022 RJPG Interns
Liz Robakiewicz
Liz grew up in Atlanta, Georgia where she graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School in 2016. She went on to Western Carolina University where she played soccer and graduated with her BA in Psychology and BA in Spanish. Her experience playing soccer at the Division I level introduced the importance of resilience and a positive mentality.
Once she discovered Sport Psychology as a career path, it connected so closely to her personal values in and out of sport, she never looked back. Liz graduated from UNCG with her MS in Applied Sport Psychology in 2022. In her graduate studies, she provided mental skills consulting to athletes across sports and ages, both at the individual and team levels. She is awaiting approval to sit for the Certified Mental Performance Consultant exam.
In her spare time, you can find Liz reading, cooking, or being outside with her husband and their Goldendoodle, Baker.
Gabe Zelico
Gabe grew up in Oak Park, California, where he ran track and cross-country. His love for sports began around age 6 when he discovered hockey. Being born with a condition called symbrachydactyly, Gabe’s right hand is underdeveloped and forced him into being mentally strong from a young age. Playing as a goalie, which was made possible through a custom glove set-up, learning how to handle failure was part of the position.
His goal was to play on a college team, which was nearly a reality when he went to California State University, Long Beach for his undergraduate degree, studying sport psychology and leadership. After a shoulder injury kept him from playing, he graduated in 2019 with his goal still in mind. He had another chance to live out this dream at California State University, Fullerton, where he studied for his Masters degree in Sport Psychology, graduating in 2022. He played two full seasons for the college's ice and roller hockey teams, applying everything he learned in school to his game. Some of his favorite mental skills include using a mantra, imagery, and confidence journaling.
Gabe is a recent master’s graduate from California State University, Fullerton. He is pursuing CMPC accreditation and works predominantly with high-school and college aged athletes. He is dedicated to helping athletes enjoy their sport more through educating them on mental skills to manage anxiety, boost confidence, and create consistency.
In his free time, Gabe still enjoys playing hockey, and has recently picked up biking. He has a love for music, both listening and playing the piano or guitar.
2021 Interns
Derek Sorensen
Derek Sorensen, born and raised in Richfield, Utah (“center of the universe,” according to his grandma), has loved sport psychology since his first semester at Brigham Young University. During his time at BYU, Derek competed for the university’s track and field team in the 100 and 200 meters. Derek accredits his collegiate success to his sound understanding of the psychology of high-performance.
When not working at RJPG, Derek is coaching track or spending time with his wife, Karen, and their newborn baby. As a family, they love traveling, hiking, or watching movies (which often concludes with a ridiculously long conversation about the film). Derek has since graduated from BYU and looks forward to earning his master’s degree in sports and performance psychology.
Jamie Nielson
Jamie grew up in Smithfield, Utah where she graduated from Sky View High School in 2016. She then continued her basketball and academic career at the College of Southern Idaho and graduated with her associates degree in Liberal Arts. She was then recruited to play at Lewis-Clark State College. After a successful career, including an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, Jamie graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Health and Fitness in 2020. It was at Lewis-Clark State College where her passion for Sport and Performance Psychology began. While on the basketball team, she worked with a Certified Mental Performance Consultant. This is where she learned valuable skills such as leadership, positive self-talk, controlling what you can, and confidence. These skills helped Jamie not only succeed and persevere in basketball, but in many other aspects of her life as well. This experience sparked her desire to help other athletes in the same way.
Jamie is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Western States. She hopes to work with athletes, teams, coaches, parents, and professionals to help them become mentally tough and succeed in all aspects of their lives.
In her spare time, Jamie enjoys being outdoors, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with her dogs- Max and Andy.