Anisiasunta Guzelides-DiCarlo

Anisiasunta Guzelides-DiCarlo is a first-year HDFS PhD student in the child and adolescent development specialization. She recently graduated with her M.S. in Psychology from Arizona State University. During her first year in the master’s program, she joined the Social Relationships and Health lab, where she centered her research on adverse childhood events, the parent-child dyad, and attachment theory. Over the following year, drawing from her personal experiences in the child welfare system, she refined her research interests on foster care placements, attachment theory, and sibling relationships—specifically speaking to the aftermath of placement disruptions. She is currently working on a manuscript related to this work. Additionally, while in the master’s program, she contributed to the Child and Adolescent Relationships and Emotions lab and Families in Transition Co-Lab, which helped her develop her skills in quantitative and qualitative research and deepened her passion for research.

At UConn, Anisiasunta is working with Dr. Preston Britner. As a doctoral student, she hopes to expand her research related to attachment theory, foster care, and sibling relationships. She aims to continue growing, learning, and evolving into a knowledgeable and solution-oriented professional who leads with passion. Her long-term goal is to conduct impactful research that influences policy for the child welfare system.

Anisiasunta is a proud Arizona native who misses home but is excited to explore a new state. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her husband and their cats, Jameson and Ginger.

Rebekah Hobbs

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.

 

Carly Prentiss

Carly Prentiss is a first-year HDFS PhD student in the health, wellbeing, and prevention specialization. She recently graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU). Based on personal experiences and her time as a youth services coordinator, she developed an interest in how health behaviors and subsequent outcomes were often overlooked in their developmental process and significance to psychological health. Much of her undergraduate research centered around mental and physical health outcomes, such as fitness, weight, and nutritional wellness. As a member of ECSU’s Health & Human Performance Lab, she worked closely with peers to investigate physical health and its association with wellbeing in young adults. She was also a co-author in presenting the lab’s research at the New England Psychological Association’s annual conference . Additionally, she independently developed a research project to examine the association between proper nutrition and academic motivation in university students.

At UConn, Carly is working with Dr. Marlene Schwartz, where she plans to expand her research ideas regarding the effects of poor perceptions of weight and food quality. She hopes to gain valuable experience conducting and assisting with research at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. She looks forward to also developing new projects to better understand the developmental process of maladaptive health behaviors. Her long-term goal is to become a professor in developmental science. She aspires to create her own behavioral health lab, where students can build their niche curiosities, much like she did as an undergraduate student.

Carly is a Connecticut native and continues to appreciate the beauty and relaxing nature of the state. In her free time, she likes to go to concerts, watch true crime documentaries, and go on adventures with her friends.

Kari was promoted to Professor effective August, 2025!

Dr. Kari Adamsons came to UConn 18 years ago, in 2007, following a fairly winding journey. She spent her first two years of college as an international relations major with a specialization in Russian foreign policy (which continues to come in dismayingly handy in recent years). However, she soon realized that although international politics are fascinating, that was something she’d rather learn about as a hobby than pursue as a career. Instead, she switched tracks and obtained a BA in psychology. She then moved to North Carolina and spent six years working as a paralegal for an insurance defense law firm. She eventually dropped back to working part-time at the law firm and pursued her Master’s in HDFS at University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), with a plan to DFSwork with non-profit agencies. However, after an internship with a non-profit during her Master’s program, she realized that also was not the career for her (too much bureaucracy!). Research, however, seemed pretty interesting, so she left the law firm and went back to school full time to get her PhD in HDFS at UNCG. After graduating and completing a one-year post-doctoral fellowship with UNCG’s Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships, she joined UConn as an Assistant Professor of HDFS. Now a Professor, her favorite part of the job is that there are so many different parts to her job. She loves the energy involved in teaching and mentoring, and then recharging by hiding in her office and analyzing data, intermingled with occasional community trainings and applied work to remind her why she studies the things she does.

Broadly speaking, Kari studies fathers, which has allowed her to dabble in a number of different content areas; by simply adding the phrase “with fathers” to any subject, any area is open for exploration! To date, she has examined subjects such as the development and expression of fathering identities during the transition to parenthood, fathers’ influence on child obesity, nonresident fathering and shared parenting following divorce (and recently, during COVID), and most recently, the processes involved in the transmission of risk behaviors such as substance use between fathers and adolescent children. Her passion for understanding and including fathers dates back to an independent study in college. At the time, Kari was interested in child abuse prevention, and a local children’s advocacy organization requested research on whether fathers influenced children’s outcomes and should, therefore, be included in their abuse prevention efforts (then exclusively focused on mothers). Spoiler alert: the answer was yes, they do, and yes, they should. Carrying that experience into graduate school, Kari noticed that in every class about parents and families, the research talked about “parents,” but the samples only included mothers, meaning little was known about fathers. Kari has spent her career trying to answer all of those unanswered questions. Kari also is fascinated by theories and methodologies, and especially the ways that our theoretical lens or methodology not only influences our interpretation of our results, but often shapes the results themselves.

When she’s not working, Kari enjoys relaxing at home in the woods of Columbia, CT, with her husband, Jim, and the family pets. Those pets currently include 2 English Setters and 3 aquariums, but have, at various times, also included numerous pet chickens and rats. She’s a fanatic about the Washington Capitals, Dallas Cowboys, Boston Red Sox, and UConn basketball (women’s and men’s), and she also enjoys watching golf and tennis. She enjoys watching them precisely because she is skilled at exactly zero of those sports herself. When not watching sports, she is probably catching a show at either Hartford Stage or the Bushnell Theater, particularly if a Broadway production is in town.

Roselind is a passionate and dedicated first-generation academic who is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Couples and Family Therapy. As a proud UConn alum, she earned her HDFS BA, with a minor in Women’s Studies, in 2015. She later obtained her Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Central Connecticut State University in 2020.

With over 18 years of experience in the mental health field, including seven years as a mental health Sergeant in the U.S. Army, Roselind has committed her career to supporting and empowering individuals and families. Her research focuses on the reintegration of military service members into their families and communities, and she is a passionate advocate for racial equity and cultural inclusion.

As a skilled bilingual therapist, Roselind excels at connecting with individuals from diverse backgrounds across all stages of life. She currently works in the Young Adult Services program at the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services while also managing her private practice, Blooming Wellness & Therapeutic Services, LLC. Roselind’s work reflects her unwavering commitment to healing, equity, and community impact.

Rachel began her time at UConn in Fall 2017. It took her until her junior year to realize she wanted to major in HDFS. When not in class or studying at the library, you would find Rachel running all over campus. She was on the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track teams for 4 years. After earning her bachelor’s degree in 2021, she moved to Massachusetts where she accepted her first job offer from The New England Center for Children. Their mission and vision aligned with her goals and career path. This non-profit organization not only offers many community-based programs, but it also offers extensive research on autism and applied behavior analysis. The kiddos, coworkers and opportunities during her time at the Center have shaped her into the young professional that she is today. Rachel even learned what it is like to run a marathon! She was one out of four runners chosen to run and fundraise for the Center at the Boston Marathon in 2022. Although she enjoyed every experience and opportunity there, she knew she needed a change. After her time in Massachusetts, she decided to move back home to South Jersey, and even saved some time (and some money) to travel through Europe.

In the fall of 2023, Rachel wanted another change, but this time with a warmer climate, so she packed her bags and moved to Charleston, SC. She accepted a job offer from Pattison’s Academy, a non-profit organization that serves individuals with disabilities from birth through 24 years old in Charleston county. She worked in their charter school in 2023-2024, and  as the assistant camp director for their 2024 summer camp. Since the fall of last year, Rachel has worked as an Early Intervention Service Coordinator, serving children birth to 3 with special needs or developmental delays. After less than a year in this job, Rachel has learned so much from each kiddo, every therapist, and especially her coworkers. Each day looks a bit different, and every day Rachel learns something new. She feels as though her detail-oriented, organizational skills, social skills, self-motivation, desire to learn and ability to learn quickly all help her manage a healthy work-life balance as an EI. She plans to stay here, or at least down south, for a few more years. But you never know what will happen in a year or two.

Rachel likes to emphasize how important it is to do what you love in your career, your hobbies, and your day-to-day life for your overall well-being. If you feel like you have to take a break from a 9-5 job and book a month-long trip exploring a new country (hint hint definitely book it). Doing what you love will ultimately allow you to become successful, whatever that may look like for you. One of the many things Rachel’s learned from running is that everyone is on their pace. Each mile looks different for everyone. Don’t compare your path or pace to anyone else’s. Be kind to yourself; you’re doing the best you can. And if you ever need someone to talk to, rachelannvick@gmail.com 🙂 Go Huskies!!!