Rebekah Hobbs (she/her) is a first-year HDFS PhD student. After graduating from Wellesley College in 2022 with a BA in Psychology and Spanish, Rebekah spent three years working as a Postgraduate Research Associate with Yale University. She spent her first year with the Yale site of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Following that position, Rebekah spent two years as an RA with the Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative (MHI). While at the MHI, she assisted with the development and running of multiple clinical trials. Most notably, Rebekah was the Lead RA for Project SPACES, a study aimed at improving relationships and reducing stress among parents of LGBTQ children.

At UConn, Rebekah hopes to continue researching the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ young people working with her advisor, Dr. Ryan J Watson. More specifically, Rebekah is interested in how family dynamics such as sibling interactions and religious environments influence identity development and disparate mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ young people compared to their cisgender/heterosexual peers. Additionally, Rebekah is interested in continuing to develop family-based interventions for families with LGBTQ members.

Rebekah was born and raised in New Jersey, where she continues to visit family whenever possible. In her free time, Rebekah also enjoys singing in choirs, baking, outdoor rock climbing, and watching too much reality television.

---