2019 HDFS Graduate Cohort

Alyssa Clark

Alyssa Clark
  • Preferred Name: Alyssa
  • Hometown: Martinsburg, PA
  • Advisor: Eva Lefkowitz
  • Area of interest: LGBT+ Couple Relationships
  • Things you do in your free time: Run, draw, and bake bread!
  • Fun fact: I love to Swing and Blues dance, and have a steadily growing collection of LGBT+ graphic novels

Rachael Farina

  • Preferred Name: Rachael
  • Hometown: Newington, CT
  • Advisor: Shannon Weaver
  • Areas of interest: Sexuality and sexual health, pornography use and satisfaction, how parents communicate with children about sex/sexuality related topics
  • Things you do in your free time: Exercise outside/at the gym and spending time with friends and family
  • Fun fact: I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and acupuncture detoxification specialist

Emily Fritzson

Emily Fritzson
  • Preferred Name: Emily
  • Hometown: Cumberland, Maine
  • Advisor: Keith Bellizzi
  • Areas of interest: Health, Well-being & Prevention– specifically stress, adjustment and coping in the context of chronic illness.
  • Things you do in your free time: Traveling, spending time outdoors & reading
  • Fun fact: I lived abroad for a semester in Madrid, Spain!

Abagail Horton

  • Preferred Name: Abagail
  • Hometown: Jupiter, Florida
  • Advisor: Alaina Brenick
  • Areas of interest: Victimization, Aggression, and Bullying in children/ adolescents
  • Things you do in your free time: Paddleboarding & spend time with family and friends
  • Fun fact: I have moved 9 times!

Yanzhen Kuang

Yanzhen Kuang

  • Preferred NameYanzhen
  • Hometown: China
  • Advisor: Sara Harkness
  • Areas of interest: Parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, parenting in the cultural contexts (particularly in China), prevention and intervention

Kaleigh Ligus

Kaleigh Ligus

  • Preferred Name: Kaleigh
  • Hometown: Windham, CT 
  • Advisor: Keith Bellizzi 
  • Areas of interest: Adulthood and Aging, Long Term Services and Supports
  • Things you do in your free time: I love to run, do home DIYs, and spend time with family. 

Michelle Miller

Michelle Miller
  • Preferred Name: Michelle
  • Hometown: Bronx, New York
  • Advisor: Linda Halgunseth
  • Area of interest: Diversity and Culture
  • Things you do in your free time: Listen to music, cook and bake, hang out with family and friends
  • Additional info: Went to undergrad at Fairfield University

Alexandria Tomkunas

Lexi Tomkunas
  • Preferred Name: Lexi
  • Hometown: Ponte Vedra, Florida
  • Advisor: Maria LaRusso
  • Areas of interest: School based interventions, social and emotional skill development in early and middle childhood, resilience in early and middle childhood
  • Things you do in your free time: I love spending time with family and friends and enjoy going to the beach!
  • Additional Info: Before coming to UConn, I attended Rollins College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in both Philosophy and Psychology, and I then taught kindergarten in Miami, Florida.

Tracy Walters

Tracy Walters
    • Preferred Name: Tracy
    • Hometown: Blue Springs, Missouri
    • Advisor: Eva Lefkowitz
    • Areas of Interest: Sexual development, sexual behavior, and sexual attitudes
    • Things you do in your free time: Read, watch TV, and explore New England
    • Fun fact: I have two awesome dogs