Juntos Lab

Our Mission

We work to improve the social belonging and identity formation process of immigrant-origin adolescents.

The Juntos Lab is interested in understanding the lived experiences of immigrant-origin and Latinx adolescents in the context of families, schools, and communities. Our primary goal is to advance our understanding of the processes that shape Latinx immigrant-origin adolescents’ sense of belonging and psychosocial development, with a focus on white and suburban contexts. Our first line of research explores threats to belonging, such as systematic racial inequalities, xenophobia, and racism, for Latinx immigrant-origin adolescents in the white suburban Midwest. Our second line of research aims to understand how growing up in an undocumented household shapes the psychosocial development of immigrant-origin children and adolescents.  

Our projects aim to deepen our understanding of how Latinx immigrant-origin adolescents process oppressive efforts and identify the risk and protective factors impacting their successful inclusion in the United States. Lastly, our research efforts will inform the development of family-community-based prevention and intervention programs to reduce social exclusion and psychosocial maladjustment as adolescents transition into adulthood.