The HICCUP Team
How we began
HICCUP is directed by social psychologist Nirupika Sharma to amplify underrepresented voices in psychology. What began as informal conversations about identity, visibility, and navigating academic culture has grown into a community-centered initiative focused on peer mentorship, support, and encouraging efforts toward institutional change.
nirupika sharma, Ph.d.
Founder and Director | PhD in Social Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
Nirupika Sharma is a social psychologist and recent PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Her work explores how people navigate identity, authenticity, and belonging across social and professional contexts. At Berkeley, she led research on the implications of code-switching to better understand how individuals manage self-presentation and experience shared reality with members of different groups. Nirupika’s personal trajectory and research have shaped her commitment to creating more accessible, identity-affirming spaces in academia. She is focused on building the communities, conversations, and tools that advance equity and reshape support in higher education.
Makesha balkaran
Research Assistant, BA from Brooklyn College, CUNY
Makesha Balkaran graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology from the Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College. Her research interests include exploring the impacts of identity and norms on educational attainment for minorities, and she hopes to pursue a career in research project management.
Erica Yoshimura
Research Assistant, Post Bacc Student at University of California, Berkeley
Erica Yoshimura studied comparative literature at Northwestern where she earned her bachelor’s, and, is currently pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research now focuses on real people instead of characters in books. She is interested in investigating how people make meaning through narrative.