Welcome!

I am an Associate Professor of Psychology (Developmental) in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Fresno.

My primary research is focused on understanding how the multiple and dynamic contexts in which immigrant children and families are embedded influence their development.  Grounded in family systems theory and the developmental systems perspective, my work strives to emphasize the role of the family unit and characteristics of contexts in children’s lives, and how these can be identified as resiliency factors in this particular segment of the population.  

I have three primary lines of research: 

(1) How are parent-adolescent acculturation differences linked to youth outcomes? 

(2) How do cultural constructs such as values influence development via factors that may be more salient among immigrant children and families?

(3) What is the lived experience of Latinx* college students?

If you are interested in joining my research group at Fresno State, please check out the information in the Immigrant Families’ Acculturative and Environmental Settings (IFACES) Lab page.

*Wondering about the term Latinx? Look at this article by Dr. Carlos Santos from UCLA.