Lydia O Nyarko is a first-year HDFS master’s student working with Dr. Jolaade Kalinowski. Lydia earned her UConn BA in Global Health and Society with a minor in HDFS. As an undergraduate student, she explored health disparities and health equity. She became passionate about child health and community influences on child development. Lydia received a scholarship from the Hurley Gurley Foundation that funded her passion project titled Amplifying the voices of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) community in Ghana.
As a graduate student, Lydia works with Dr. Kalinowski as a research assistant on her Stress Lab Project. Currently, Lydia is exploring mental health-seeking behaviors among women of color and young adults. She plans on applying multidisciplinary frameworks to inform mental health interventions, particularly for immigrant families. After completing her master’s, Lydia hopes to pursue a PhD in HDFS.
Lydia grew up in Ghana before moving to the US. While an undergraduate student, she studied abroad three times. Her longterm goal is to visit all the countries in the world. She enjoys vlogging her life.