I am a PhD student in Educational Psychology, in the human development area. I obtained my bachelor's in Neurobiology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023. My research interests focus on identifying the barriers and costs adolescents and college students encounter in STEM fields. I am particularly interested in how these barriers affect motivation, achievement, and STEM identity, with a special emphasis on women and underrepresented minority students. Outside of research, I enjoy coaching and doing gymnastics, cooking, and hiking!  

Current Publications

Veenendall, A. & Starr, C.R. (under review). Classroom climate matters: Positive classroom climate protects biology students from decreases in motivational beliefs across the semester.

Starr, C.R., Hunter, L., & Veenendall, A. (under review). Classroom experiences help student’s flourish: How in and out of classroom experiences relate to changes in undergraduate’s affective beliefs across introductory biology courses.