Dr. Shelby Borowski graduated from UConn in 2014 with a double major in HDFS and Psychology. During her undergraduate studies, an HDFS Research Methods course first sparked her interest in research, leading her to seek out additional research opportunities in the department. She participated in research examining the quality of life among cancer survivors and […]

Cora’s career in early childhood development and education began at UConn more than 15 years ago and has continued to evolve through a commitment to reflection and growth. She began her college career as a music major at the Hartt School of Music but soon felt called toward a field that would allow her to […]

Zakiya Johnson is a first-year PhD student specializing in Diversity and Culture and Child and Adolescent Development. Prior to coming to UConn, she graduated magna cum laude with her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in sociology from Iowa State University. While at Iowa State, Zakiya participated in multiple research labs and projects, […]

Críscila Ramos is a first-year PhD student in the Diversity and Culture specialization. Before joining UConn, she worked as an attorney in Brazil, earned her bachelor’s degree in Law from Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora in Brazil in 2021, including a period of study at the Università Degli Studi di Camerino in Italy. She […]

Congratulations to Angel Reed for publishing an article in the journal Personality and Individual Differences! More information available here: Hall, B. T., Rebaldo, T., Geist, A., *Reed, A., & George, D. (2026). Flirting for me or flirting for we? The Dark and Light Triads as predictors of flirting motive. Personality and Individual Differences, 251, 113565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113565

Kevin Ferreira van Leer (PI), Caitlin Lombardi (Co-PI) and Trinidad Tellez (Co-PI) received funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation for their grant, “Support for Research on Youth and Parent Experiences in NH.” This grant supports a community-based participatory research project between researchers at UConn and Centro Latino de New Hampshire which aims to better understand […]

Keith Bellizzi published a new book, Falling Forward: The New Science of Resilience and Personal Transformation. Learn more about it here: https://www.keithbellizzi.com/fallingforward

Gloria Oladeji’s nonprofit organization, The GLEA Network, was selected for the UConn MLK Legacy Award in the category of Team/Organization. Gloria is the founder of this youth-led nonprofit that advances girls’ education, health, and empowerment in underserved communities. Congratulations Gloria! Learn more here: https://diversity.uconn.edu/mlk2026/

Liane Lussier Smith, MSW, LCSW earned her Bachelor of Science in HDFS from UConn with a focus in Counseling and Services in 2002. Taking advantage of multiple internships and the variety of courses within the HDFS program set the stage for learning about new career opportunities. After obtaining her undergraduate degree, Liane worked in early […]

Linda Maria Trevino is a first-year HDFS PhD student specializing in Child and Adolescent Development. Before she joined the UConn Applied Research on Children (ARC) Lab, she earned her bachelor’s in Psychology with Special Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. There, she conducted her honors thesis, an evaluation of bilingualism, children’s executive functions, […]