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.
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.