At the broadest level, I am an interdisciplinary researcher interested in well-being during adolescence and the transition to adulthood. Most of my research addresses one of three related questions:

1. How do young people make strides in adult development? I am particularly interested in how they reconcile core developmental tasks, like making sense of who they are (identity), where they are going in life (purpose), and what it means to be here (meaning).
2. How do identity, purpose, and meaning interface with mental health and well-being?
3. How can environments, like colleges and out-of-school time programs, support young people in the cultivation of identity, purpose, and meaning?

More information about my research can be found on the Self and Psychological Well-being (SAP) Lab website.

I have 0% appointments in the Department of Human Development & Family Studies (HDFS) and the Department of Psychology—this means I can collaborate with faculty and serve on graduate student committees in these departments with ease. I act as chair/primary advisor for graduate students applying to the Department of Educational Psychology, where I serve Developmental Sciences and Counseling Psychology.

• Ph.D., Human Development, Cornell University
  • Major: Developmental Psychology
  • Specializations: Social and Personality Development, Developmental Psychopathology, Applied Statistics
• M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of Central Florida
• B.S., Psychology (Honors), University of Central Florida
• A.A., Psychology, Daytona State College