Lab Director
Dr. Mayra Bamaca-Colbert
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I am an immigrant Latina scholar who emigrated from Guatemala at the age of 16. My research lies at the intersection of developmental (e.g., puberty), cultural (e.g., acculturation) and contextual (e.g., parenting, friendships, neighborhood) influences on the behavioral and health outcomes of ethnic-racial minoritized youth, with an emphasis on Latino/a/x. I recently completed a pilot study that implemented Ecological Momentary Assessments (i.e., 3 daily surveys for 10 days) to better understand the daily experiences of Latino youth and their parents in a new immigrant destination (Harrisburg, PA). The focus of this project was to examine how daily experiences with parents, peers, and the surrounding environment (e.g., exposure to violence and substance use, discrimination) is related to daily psychological and physical health symptoms. My work at UC Merced will continue to focus on adolescents from Latinx and other ethnic-racial minoritized backgrounds and will expand to investigate middle childhood experiences within families and school contexts.
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UC Merced Team
Please contact Dr. B (mbamaca@ucmerced.edu) if you are interested in joining the team at UC Merced!
Penn State Team
Post-Docs
Daniel Cooper, Ph.D.
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My research and clinical work focuses on understanding and promoting the mental health of high-risk populations (e.g., immigrants and refugees). There are two main trajectories of my research: (a) examining risk and protective factors associated with positive adaptations to adversity by using existing longitudinal datasets and (b) using community-engaged program implementation strategies to enhance the effectiveness of evidence-based preventive interventions for substance use and mental health problems, specifically for populations exposed to adverse and traumatic events. I also work as a marriage and family therapist. I joined the IMPACT lab due to its focus on family dynamics and cultural processes. In my free time, I love to play tennis, spend time with friends, dance, and travel.
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Graduate Students
Peter S. Y. Kim, M.A.
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Peter Kim is a dual-PhD candidate in HDFS and Demography. His main research interest is in examining culture and context in more dynamic ways, utilizing tools such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA). Recently he has developed a novel survey-based measure of activity space, AS-Q, which he hopes can be utilized widely by scholars who may not have had access to resources needed for collecting spatial data in the past. With his varied background in English Literature, Computer Science, and Developmental Science, Peter brings unique perspectives to the way we study and analyze development.
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Griselda Martinez, M.A.
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Griselda Martinez is a 4th-year graduate student in the Human Development and Family Studies program at Penn State. Her research focuses on adolescent health and development with an emphasis on Latino adolescents. She is interested in examining the role of individual, family, and cultural processes on adolescents' mental health and substance use. Her research also seeks to identify factors that contribute to resilience in adolescents. She joined the IMPACT lab because she is interested in understanding better the adjustment outcomes among immigrant youth and families. In her free time, she enjoys hiking! |
Jasmin Castillo, B.A.
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Jasmin Castillo is a 3rd-year graduate student in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. Her research interests lie at the intersection of psychology, education, and criminal justice. Her interests include students’ perceptions of authority, teacher-student relationships, and the development of social-emotional skills in children. She joined IMPACT lab because she is interested in how families (Latinos in particular) socialize children to understand authority. Ultimately, she hopes to develop school-to-prison pipeline prevention and intervention programs.
Fun fact: She plays a lot of instruments because she teachs herself new ones when I get bored. |
Undergraduates
Sophia Lamb
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Sophia Lamb is a Junior at Penn State majoring in Human Development and Family Studies. Her research interests are adolescent development and how this is affected by different relationships within the family. She joined the IMPACT lab because she would love to learn more about parent-adolescent relationships. During her free time, she loves to ice skate, practice yoga, and write poetry.
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Past Students
Lorena Aceves, Ph.D.
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Lorena Aceves completed her Ph.D. summer 2020 in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. Her research interests consist of understanding how familial and individual level domains contribute to the educational outcomes of Latino adolescents and college students in the United States. Lorena joined this lab because she was interested in learning more about the development of Latino youth in the United States and more ways in which parents and how an immigrant background contribute to youth's academic outcomes. Post grad school, Lorena is serving as a AAAS/SRCD Federal Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Adminstration for Children and Families' Office of Head Start. A fun fact about Lorena is she that enjoys running and working out (so much that she always runs while on vacation or on conference trips ;)!
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Kingsley Schroeder, Ph.D.
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Kingsley Schroeder completed her Ph.D. Fall 2019 in the developmental psychology program at Penn State. Her research interests center on children's gender role development, with emphases on both the acquisition of gender understanding and the ways in which gender understanding may affect children's development more generally. She is also interested in gender development as embedded in multiple cultural contexts, which is why she joined the IMPACT lab. Post grad, Kingsley is currently working as an Assitant Professor at Springfield College. In her free time, she likes being outdoors and playing sports.
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Evelyn Marin, B.S.
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Evelyn Marin graduated from Penn State Spring 2020 with a degree in Bio Behavioral Health. Her research interests include how the Latino adolescents’ community and environment influence their overall health and well being, especially stress levels, and nutrition. She spent 4 years working as a research assistant for the IMPACT lab. She joined this lab because it focused on Latino adolescents' development and their immigrant backgrounds, which was something she had personally experienced but wanted to learn more about in terms of research studies. A fun fact about Evelyn is that she makes really good nachos.
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Kelly Contino, B.S.
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Kelly Contino graduated from Penn State in Spring 2020 with a B.S. in Kinesiology and Science with a minor in Psychology. Her research interests include understanding the impact that adolescents’ relationships have on their overall development and well-being, including their physical activity levels and academic performance. She joined the IMPACT Lab because she hopes to one day work with underserved population groups as a Physician, and she thinks it is vital to understand the disparities among these groups in order to provide adequate patient care. A fun fact about Kelly is that she loves to exercise, and she plans to take the National Certification Exam to become a fitness instructor.
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Tevin Carrington, B.S.
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Tevin Carrington graduated in Fall 2018 with a major in Science and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. He helped develop the survey measures for ENLACES-TIES, that effectively gauge how an adolescents parent involvement, neighborhood and other aspects of their environment affected their social, academic, and emotional development in their neighborhoods. Tevin is continuing his research endaevors at a Children's Hospital in Philly. In the future, he hopes to obtain a Masters' in Neuroscience and Genetics, in the hopes that what he adds to the literature can benefit them and shine light on the reality of their lives!
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Kristina McCracken, B.S.
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Kristina McCracken graduated with a degree in HDFS from Penn State. She was interested in the IMPACT Lab's research because she likes learn about different cultures including Hispanic Americans, and how their culture and lifestyle affects their education. She spent two years with IMPACT Lab. She joined this research lab because she wanted to gain experience in the subject and learn new information about education and family life in the process. A fun fact about her is that she is originally from Ukraine, and she can speak three different languages fluently - English, Ukrainian, and Russian.
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