Natalia is a second year Cognitive Science Major at UCLA. She works in the Rissman Memory Lab which takes a unique approach to dissecting human cognition, specifically on how humans recall and apply memory. Natalia contributes to the Rissman Memory Lab’s investigation of how goal-directed and exploratory attentional processes modulate memory formation, maintenance, and retrieval. In the CARE Program, Natalia will continue conducting research at the Rissman Memory Lab. The lab seeks to find which features of wakeful rest best facilitate associative inference, as these periods can encompass heterogeneous internally directed states. In this study, Natalia will use a behavioral representational similarity analysis approach to see if active or exploratory mind-wandering during awake rest improves our ability to connect related memories. This research will help develop model systems to understand which type of wakeful rest is most effective for enhancing these connections with less strain on the hippocampus, a critical brain area for memory. Natalia will explore the trends between active/exploratory mind-wandering and memory consolidation to link its connection to improved associative inference. Natalia would like to thank the entire Rissman Memory Lab, especially Dr. Jesse Rissman and Samantha Walters, for their continued guidance and mentorship. She would also like to thank the CARE Fellows Program at UCLA for this invaluable opportunity to grow as a scientist and student.