Author: Janice Berriault

Darlis Juvino, HDFS Graduate Student Spotlight, December 2021

Posted on by

Darlis JuvinoDarlis joined the UConn HDFS Ph.D. program in Fall 2021. She is the recipient of the CLAS Dean Graduate Fellowship and works as a graduate assistant for the Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development.  She previously earned her bachelor’s in Psychology from SUNY at Purchase College in New York.

During her time at Purchase, she took a required two-semester research methods and statistics course and a two-semester senior thesis project. Her thesis was a critical review of unpublished and peer-reviewed published articles from 2010-2020 that assessed the “bilingual advantage.” The bilingual advantage is the enhanced mental flexibility or ability to shift thoughts or actions according to the environment among people who speak more than one language. These research experiences helped Darlis realize what she wanted to include in her future career.

While an undergraduate student, she investigated the research literature on cross-cultural studies of human development and discovered the work of two UConn HDFS professors, Dr. Sara Harkness and Dr. Charles Super.  Notably, their cross-cultural research and work on parents’ cultural belief systems are what she found most exciting.  After discovering their work, Darlis learned about UConn’s HDFS program.

During Darlis’ time at UConn, she plans on studying mixed-race individuals, multicultural identity development, and possible intervention/prevention programs for immigrant/multicultural families.

In Darlis’ spare time, she enjoys watching old movies and, on special occasions, traveling back to the places and the people she loves.

Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, HDFS Alumni Spotlight, December 2021

Posted on by

Dr. Leslie Torres-RodriguezDr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez earned her first degree from UConn, a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Relations, in 1997. Three years later, she also received her Master of Social Work degree from UConn. While attending UConn, she gained a knowledge of human development, how people grow and develop, and the interdependencies of different systems, including families, schools, and communities.

During her time as a student, Torres-Rodriguez held various leadership roles at San Juan Tutoring Program, Inc., a non-profit community-based agency that provided academic and enrichment services to Hartford students, as well as parenting skills training and support to families. In 2000, after earning her MSW, she served students and families at Goodwin Technical High School as a School Social Worker. During that time, she earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University while teaching Social and Behavioral Sciences at Capital Community College.

An education leader in the Greater Hartford area for more than two decades, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez has held various school leadership positions, including Assistant Principal and Principal. She also designed and facilitated professional learning for the LEAD CT Turnaround Principal Program, a collaboration among Connecticut and national organizations committed to helping school and district leaders reach new levels of success improving student learning.

A proud graduate of Hartford Public schools, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez returned home to the district to serve and lead it, first as Assistant Superintendent and Acting Superintendent before she was appointed Superintendent in 2017. She strongly believes that schools exist within, and at times are a reflection of, their communities. Her learnings at UConn SSW, rooted in social justice, serve as a foundation as she continues to apply an equity lens to all aspects of her leadership journey. That manifests in the district’s approach to seek stakeholder voice to inform decisions; to use data to target resources equitably by student need and school need; and to co-design and deploy strategies that deliberately target disrupting historical patterns of inequity.

Her ongoing relationship with UConn extends to partnerships between Hartford Public Schools and the University. For example, an initiative called HPS Heals brought UConn School of Social Work students into Hartford Public Schools to help respond to the trauma experienced by students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is a proud resident of Hartford, where she lives with her husband and two sons.

Anne Bladen, HDFS Faculty Spotlight, December 2021

Posted on by

Lecturer & Executive Director, UConn Child Development Laboratories

Anne BladenAnne Bladen has devoted her life to families and children in one way or another for the entirety of her career. After graduating with a BA in Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College, Anne moved to Connecticut and worked in Willimantic for three years as a bilingual Welfare Caseworker with the Town of Windham Social Services.  The timing of her work as a caseworker overlapped with the AIDS and burgeoning Opiod epidemics, the recession, and the gutting of social services and job training programs. After several of her clients died of drug overdoses and AIDS, and as increasingly fewer individuals and families qualified for much needed benefits, Anne realized that it was time for a career change to work where she could have an impact much earlier on in people’s lives. As she explored how she might influence people earlier in the lifespan, Anne thought of her volunteer work with young children while in high school and college and applied to UConn’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates.

Anne completed her student teaching and MA placements in special education in public preschool programs in Hartford. Her MA thesis focused on the use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication with bilingual children with special needs.  These experiences solidified her belief in the power of early intervention.  Following her time in Hartford, Anne taught special education for preschoolers and their typically developing peers as well as resource room support for students in grades K-4.

Anne has been a member of the UConn Child Development Labs (CDL) community for 25 years. Having attended the Smith College Campus School for her own elementary years, the CDL’s mission of high quality education for children and college students was comfortable and welcoming when she became a kindergarten teacher at the CDL in 1996. She introduced the Writers’ Workshop model into the curriculum, building on her love of reading and writing.  Anne incorporated her passion for nature into her teaching of both children and UConn students as she hatched chickens, grew potatoes, built birdhouses and planted 2000 daffodils in the circle outside the Child Labs in celebration of the millennium.

Anne’s commitment to the wellbeing of young children led her to accept the role as Special Needs Coordinator at the Child Labs. While leaving the classroom as a teacher was a hard choice, she welcomed the opportunity to work with children, students, teachers and families in a different capacity. She was instrumental in combining ages to create a Preschool/ Kindergarten classroom. She supported teachers in meeting the individual needs of children and worked with other UConn departments to access resources for children and teachers.  At the same time, Anne became the instructor of two practicum classes at the CDL, allowing her to continue to help college students learn about the importance of the early years.

Anne moved into the role of Executive Director fifteen years ago, and continues to teach practicum classes, work with teachers, and support children.  Anne teaches her belief that all children should have access to high quality programs and that teachers should have the resources they need.  To this end, Anne has served in various community capacities during her career.  She chaired Mansfield Advocates for Children, coached and mentored several early childhood centers around the state in different stages of accreditation and helped them navigate the many facets of intentional teaching. Anne is an active member of NAACP and promotes understanding and diversity in both her professional and personal life.

Anne lives in an old house in the Mansfield Hollow Historic District and enjoys time at home with her daughter and two dogs. Her son is a 2019 UConn political science graduate who lives in Washington, DC. She is an avid gardener and quilter. You can find Anne outside in her gardens or at the river, hiking or exploring different biking trails.