Six HDFS undergraduate students were selected to join the 2021-2022 CLAS Women’s Leadership Collective: Makayla R Dawkins, Zarya B Hernandez Salto, Sierra R Jennings, Blessing Johnson, Bonnie Jurgensmier, and Maya S Reddy. The Collective provides undergraduate students with a unique leadership learning experience coupled with group mentorship from UConn alumnae. Congratulations to all of these students!
Students
Sarah McKee and Marlene Schwartz featured in UConn Today
Graduate student Sarah McKee and Professor Marlene Schwartz were featured in UConn Today for their work on how color-coded nutrition information helps food pantry clients choose healthier options. Read the article here.
Breanna McFarlane and Maria Baratau featured in UConn Today
Two HDFS majors, Breanna McFarlane and Maria Baratau, featured in a story in UConn Today. Read the article here.
Alexandria Tomkunas selected to 2021 Southern Education Leadership Initiative cohort
Congratulations to Graduate Student Alexandria Tomkunas who was selected to the 2021 Southern Education Leadership Initiative cohort. She will partake in an 8-week summer fellowship funded by the Southern Education Foundation and work for the organization “Voices for Georgia’s Children,” on a project analyzing the 181 Georgia school districts’ codes of conduct and discipline policies, in order to provide information to be reviewed in light of known policies and best practices for student outcomes and equity.
Abagail Horton receives NCFR honors student recognition
Congratulations to Graduate Student Abbey Horton, who received National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) honors student recognition for her master’s degree.
Rachael Farina receives Summer Fellowship from UConn Graduate School
Graduate Student Rachael Farina was a recipient for one of the Summer Fellowships for Advanced Graduate Students from the Graduate School at UConn.
Eleanor Fisk selected for SRCD Fellowship
Graduate Student Eleanor Fisk was selected for the Society for Research on Child Development’s (SRCD) Pre-doctoral State Fellowship. Her 12-month placement at the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood will start in September. Caitlin Lombardi will serve as her faculty mentor.
Anne Thompson Heller, HDFS Graduate Student Spotlight, May 2021
Anne Thompson Heller earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership: Higher Education and Student Affairs from the Neag School of Education in May, 2011. She joined the HDFS Department in Fall 2011 as a master’s student in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program. After completing her master’s, she joined the HDFS PhD program where she has studied adolescent and young adult substance use disorders (SUD) and recovery. As a translational scholar, Anne has primarily focused her research on collegiate recovery programs (CRP) designed to support college students in recovery from SUD. Specifically, Anne’s research has sought to enhance the understanding of CRP organizations, structures, and practices that promote recovery, academic success, and psychosocial development and adjustment for the students they serve. Anne’s published work has appeared in several journals, including Society and Mental Health, JMIR Mental Health, Journal of Recovery Science, Addiction Research & Theory, and Substance Use and Misuse. She has provided webinars for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Association of Student Personnel Administration and has presented at numerous national conferences including: The Association of Recovery in Higher Education, The National Council on Family Relations, and The American College Health Association. Her dissertation examined collegiate recovery programs and their promotion of psychosocial development and adjustment.
While in HDFS, Anne served as a Teaching Assistant for research methods and was the instructor of record for Family Interaction Processes. She worked as a Graduate Assistant in Student Health and Wellness -Health Promotion for five years where she led the efforts to implement the UConn Recovery Community (URC), UConn’s collegiate recovery program.
In addition to her work at UConn, Anne has supported the youth recovery movement at the local, state, and national levels. She served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) as the Northeast Regional Representative and on the Executive Committee as Secretary of the ARHE Board. She is currently serving on the ARHE Advisory Council and Chairs the Accreditation Committee. Anne also serves on the Board of Directors for Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR). Past advocacy efforts include serving as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Recovery Schools (ARS). Anne is a founding member of Young People in Recovery (YPR) and served as a member of the steering and advisory committee for the YPR Movement.
Currently, Anne works as a Staff Psychotherapist (LMFT) at Student Health and Wellness – Mental Health (SHaW-MH). As a systemically trained clinician, Anne incorporates contextual and relational factors into her work with students. She plans to continue with her clinical work at SHaW-MH and her research in the field of collegiate recovery.
Rachael Farina selected for scholarship award from UConn’s Women’s Center
Graduate student Rachael Farina was selected for one of the 100 Years of Women Scholarship Awards for the 2021 – 2022 academic year from UConn’s Women’s Center. The 100 Years of Women Scholarship fund was established in 1992 to honor a current UConn student or high school senior planning to enroll at UConn who, as a role model and advocate, has advanced the status and contributions of women in society. Rachael was selected for this award in recognition of her outstanding academic achievements, dedicated service, and significant contributions to the advancement of women in society. Congratulations Rachael!
Morica Hutchison, HDFS Graduate Student Spotlight, April 2021
Morica Hutchinson, MA, HDFS Graduate Student
Morica (Rica) Hutchison is a prevention scientist and marital family therapist. She studies the connections between emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness in community-based samples of youth and young adults deemed at-risk due to mental health and/or substance use diagnoses. Rica first discovered her passion for bolstering mental and behavioral health outcomes as an undergraduate when she completed an honors thesis on the emotional regulation and behavior of adolescents in substance use recovery and participated in an internship at an intensive outpatient program for adolescents focused on group and family-based therapy.
For her dissertation, Rica has been facilitating an eight-session mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) for youth enrolled in community-based outpatient therapy programs. The youth present with diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and a history of suicidal behavior or adverse experiences such as sexual abuse, neglect, multiple/disrupted family and/or foster placements, witness to parental substance use, or domestic violence. Her dissertation examines how MBI’s can support at-risk youth’s development of adaptive coping skills and thwart adverse mental and behavioral health outcomes.
During her time as a doctoral and master’s student, Rica has taught several in-person and online HDFS courses, including: Family Life Education, Research Methods, Honors Proseminar, and Honors Thesis Preparation Seminar.
Following graduation, Rica will become a postdoctoral scholar in suicide prevention at the University of Rochester Department of Psychiatry. This further training will allow her to identify effective prevention strategies and program implementation for at-risk youth and young adults for use in applied settings, including mental health treatment facilities, non-profit organizations providing treatment to high-risk youth and young adults, and other agencies that offer training for child and family services workers. Dissemination of such preventative and intervention strategies will foster adaptive coping skills, reduce the burden of mental health adversities on youth and young adults, and increase access to care coordination for individuals and families presenting with ongoing difficulties.
In her spare time, Rica loves baking, travelling to new places, and adding to her collection of plants. She has three cats (Rae, Goose and Pickles), which keep her entertained while working from home.