MacqPsych Society Spotlight and An Introduction To The 2026 Executives

Editorial Assistant Alicja Krotofil presents Macquarie University’s Psychology student group, the wonderful MacqPsych, and the current executive team at the helm of the club

Macquarie University has countless student societies that allow students to engage in topics that interest them and make friends. Today I want to shine the spotlight onto one of the largest student societies—that currently has over 3000 members—and was also the winner of the MQU Student Group of The Year award in 2025. This is, of course, none other than the Macquarie University Psychology Society, Macqpsych! 

I’ve piqued your interest? Perfect! Macqpsych welcomes all students who study or have an interest in psychology and want to be able to express their passion for the field with other peers. The primary objective of the society is to unite students and create opportunities to participate in psychology related events. In 2026, Macqpsych has lots of events coming up. Whether it's academic, career, or social, there is something for everyone, so keep an eye out. 

Another feature of Macqpysch is that every year they publish a student-driven psychology publication called The Psych Analyst. The purpose of this publication is to share informative and evidence-based writing about various psychological issues and matters of importance, and to create a community of like-minded people who are passionate about the expanding field of psychology. Students from the society are able to join and contribute to the publication, allowing them to expand their writing and research skills. If you would like to read the previous publications of the psych analyst, you can use this link: https://www.macqpsych.org/psychanalyst

Now that you’ve gotten a little taste of what it’s like to be a part of the Psychology Society and what they do…Let's meet the wonderful team of executives for 2026! 

Marco Costantino 

Marco Costantino is the President. His responsibility is to oversee all decisions in the society and provide guidance when it comes to different projects, present and future. Marco is also the main connection point between the student body and faculty, and he ensures that what happens in the society reflects what students want to gain from the society and its events. He studies a Bachelor of Psychology and Bachelor of Music and his favorite psychological phenomenon is that when cutting in line, your chances of being successful are the same whether you give a real reason or a fake/nonsensical one. 

Angelina Nguyen 

Angelina Nguyen is the Vice President. Her responsibility is to support the internal operations and represent the society externally with its partnerships. Marianne uses her previous experience as marketing director to provide insight into the inner workings of the society. She studies a Bachelor of Psychology and Education and her favourite psychological fact is that learning styles are a myth. There is little evidence that preferences support learning outcomes. Fun fact about Angelina: she is the designer of the current Macqpsych logo and led the society rebrand in 2025 as the former marketing director. 

Aakanksha Segal 

Aakanksha Segal is the Director of Marketing. She creates all of the visual design and campaigns for Macqpsych and manages Instagram and all of the other social platforms. She’s essentially a bridge between what happens inside the society and what gets sent out to members! Aakanksha studies a Bachelor of Psychology and her favourite psychological phenomenon is the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon – where you learn something new and then suddenly start seeing it everywhere. 

Marianne Sarmiento 

Marianne Sarmiento is the Director of Events. She oversees the planning and execution of academic, career and social events that enrich the student experience. This includes coordinating with guest speakers, managing the event’s subcommittee, and ensuring that all society events run smoothly while fostering engagement within the psychology student community. She studies a Bachelor of Psychology and her favourite psychological phenomenon is the placebo effect, which shows how powerful the influence of our mind is on our reality. 

Tayla Silverthorne  

Tayla Silverthorne is the Director of Publishing. She is responsible for overseeing the publications subcommittee and its journal, The Psych Analyst, which is a student-led publication featuring evidence-informed psychological analysis and commentary. Tayla and the publications subcommittee hope to see The Psych Analyst be accredited by Macquarie University this year. She studies a Bachelor of Psychology and her favourite psychological phenomenon is the mirroring effect, where we mirror the body-language of people we are comfortable with. 

Rian Lourine Reyes

Rian Lourine Reyes is the Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Her role includes hosting events that promote diversity and wellbeing, providing support in internal operations and ensuring that all society members and executives stay engaged, included and supported in a safe space. She currently studies a Bachelor of Psychology with a Major in Applied Ethics and her favourite psychological fact is that the physical act of smiling is shown to boost our mood, even if it’s a forced one. 

Katarina Napier 

Katarina Napier is the Treasurer. Her role is to manage the finances of the society to ensure that the society is able to hold fun events for all you wonderful people! She studies a Bachelor of Psychology and Bachelor of Laws and her favourite psychological phenomenon is the Dunning-Kruger effect, the tendency that people have to overestimate their abilities. 

Ilaria Korompay 

Ilaria Korompay is the Secretary. Ilaria helps manage administrative and organisational tasks at Macqpsych, including coordinating calendars, supporting team communication and also assisting with meetings. She studies a Bachelor of Psychology and her favourite psychological phenomenon is the disorder Prosopagnosia, which is the inability to recognise faces.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know the wonderful team that is going to continue to bring the spirit of psychology to life this year! Hopefully, this sneak peek has encouraged you to join, and if you would like to, you can scan the QR code provided, which will take you directly to the membership page. 

by Alicja Krotofil