Araceli is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville in the Counseling Psychology program. She earned her B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). During her time at UTEP, she served as a Research Assistant in the Mental Health and Criminal Justice Lab and worked with the Border Biomedical Research Center, where she contributed to projects addressing health disparities and justice system inequities in Latinx and border communities.

Following her undergraduate training, Araceli worked at the University of Miami’s Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health within the Equitable Implementation Science Core. In this role, she collaborated on projects focused on the equitable implementation of mental health interventions and HIV prevention, deepening her commitment to community-engaged research and advocacy.

Her research interests center on mental health equity, particularly in advancing culturally responsive interventions for Latinx youth and families. She is passionate about addressing stigma, health disparities, and systemic barriers that shape access to care. Grounded in her identity as a first-generation Latina scholar, Araceli aims to bridge research and advocacy efforts to improve mental health systems of care.

Araceli was born and raised in the El Paso/Juárez borderland. Outside of academics, Araceli loves to read and immerse herself in art through pottery, painting, or visiting museums. She has three cats (Cardigan, Baby, and Weezy) and loves to spend time with them.

Shari Linares is a third-year graduate student at the University of Tennessee in the Counseling Psychology program. Shari graduated with undergraduate Honors in Psychology in 2023 with minors in Sociology and Mental Health Advocacy and Awareness at Utah State University. She is currently a part of the THRIVE lab at UTK that focuses on improving access to mental health services, understanding mechanisms of resilience after trauma exposure, and leveraging community strengths to promote the well-being of marginalized youths and families. 

Shari particularly enjoys her clinical work with clients and being involved in research focusing on creating equitable spaces and practices for immigrant populations, and on researching and implementing culturally competent approaches in both research and clinical practice, for clinicians and clients alike. Shari’s main body of research focuses on the experiences people of color face, making space for these conversations, and supporting healing from negative experiences. 

Shari is a first-generation bicultural Latina who was born and raised in Logan Utah, with roots in Ecuador and Guatemala. Outside of her academic life, Shari loves to be out in the sun—whether that be swimming, skiing, or discovering new green places—cooking, frequenting coffee shops, or dancing in Zumba (or anywhere really!). Spending quality time with family and friends is very important to her.

Jimena Mendoza is a third-year PhD student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She graduated from Iowa State University in 2024, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Statistics. She is proud to have been involved in TRIO Student Support Services (#TRIOWORKS) and the Ronald E. McNair Program at Iowa State. She has worked on several projects in the Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies Departments during her time as an undergraduate student.   

Jimena's research interests focus on mitigating mental health disparities among immigrants, monolingual Spanish speakers, and the Latine community. She is passionate about using Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to develop culturally responsive programs for historically underserved populations. Jimena plans to use her educational privilege to support the mental health of students and underrepresented communities through therapy, intervention, and prevention programs. Social justice and advocating for underserved individuals are central to her career goals, as she strives to better support people from all backgrounds.  

Jimena was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, but has lived in Iowa for most of her life. Jimena enjoys reading, hiking, dancing, and going to farmers' markets in her free time. She especially loves playing pickleball and disc golf in the summer.

Roberto Obregon Garcia is a second-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in History. His research interests focus on how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as trauma, shape the development of psychopathology in individuals from low-income and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, with particular attention to Latinx communities. He is also interested in examining how peer discrimination contributes to addiction risk among marginalized youth, as well as identifying protective factors that foster resilience across development. Roberto is committed to expanding access to mental health care for underserved communities throughout his graduate training and future career.

Before joining the THRIVE Lab, Roberto worked at the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he led recruitment efforts within the Greater Boston Latinx community and gained experience administering neuropsychological assessments in both English and Spanish. Following this role, he spent two years in Spain working as an English teacher.

Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Roberto grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. In his free time, he enjoys reading, hiking, photography, skateboarding, and playing basketball.

Rebeca Nieves Rodríguez is a third-year Ph.D. candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) in the Public Health Sciences program. Rebeca earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology and her B.A. in Psychology with minors in Public Health and Business Administration, magna cum laude, both from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Across her work, Rebeca uses data-driven and culturally responsive approaches to reduce health disparities and improve the wellbeing of youth, families, and Latinx communities.

Before joining the THRIVE Lab, Rebeca previously served as a Graduate Research Assistant on the COURAGE Project in the Department of Public Health, where she created and led a Hispanic Outreach initiative to expand access to health resources and training related to substance use disorder, stigma reduction, and healthy family engagement in East Tennessee. Her experience includes designing and delivering trainings on substance use disorder and prevention for diverse audiences, developing training materials for a pharmacy mentorship program to strengthen patient–provider communication, and conducting mixed-methods evaluations to improve program effectiveness. She has also contributed to COVID-19 policy surveillance and reporting as a team lead for the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, coauthoring several state-level reports through the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.

Rebeca was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico traveling back often to visit her family. She is an avid fantasy reader, enjoyer of arts and crafts, and loves discovering new Knoxville spots with friends—especially if it involves trying delicious food!