Nikole is a first year PhD student who joined the HDFS program in the fall of 2023 to work with Lisa Eaton. Nikole graduated from California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) with a B.A. in Psychology in 2022. While at CSUMB, Nikole worked as a research assistant in Dr. Shannon Snapp’s Support Young People Project Lab, researching topics such as bias-based bullying, LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula, and human sexuality with a focus on LGBTQ+ adolescents/ young adults. Additionally, she worked as a peer-mentor, writing fellow, and ambassador for an undergraduate research program. Nikole is also a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Scholar, and earned a Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Honorable Mention.
Nikole’s research interests broadly include human sexuality and health disparities in LGBTQ+ communities, queering relationship science, and positive and resilience factors in LGBTQ+ youth/ young adult development. She is also interested in exploring how health care accessibility impacts physical, sexual, and mental well-being in SGM adolescents and emerging adults. Currently, Nikole is excited to engage in research centered on HIV prevention and PrEP usage with Lisa Eaton. She is also eager to pursue projects with other faculty while at UConn, such as Ryan Watson and his team in the SHINE Lab.
When Nikole is not nerding out over research you can find her chasing after her five-year old, playing board games (ultra-competitively), and binge-watching shows from the 2000s.