Research Experience

Supports and Barries to Help-Seeking in Migrant Workers

My dissertation seeks to explore the individual, community, and contextual level variables that impact help-seeking for mental health concerns in migrant workers. This community-based, mixed methods sequential design is aimed at capturing the informal and formal help-seeking patterns of migrant workers in South Florida. Additionally, I am exploring factors that contribute to these help-seeking patterns, such as acculturation, coping, level of depressive symptomology, immigration status, and structural barriers.

During this project, I have had the privilege of working with an innovative, effective community organization, enFamilia. With this help of my amazing research assistants, Lina Garces and Daniela Delgado, we have heard participants give witness to both their horrific work experiences and their supportive, united communities. As many participants have eloquently proclaimed, their work frequently positions them as modern-day slaves in America. Through this dissertation and subsequent research, I will continue to share their stories, collaborate with service providers to use this data to improve mental and physical health services, and use their narratives to advocate for immigration policy change.

Research Coordinator for ICAN-2
Evaluated positive youth development groups (ICAN-2: Immigrant Children Affirmative Network-2) in an underperforming school in Florida City and a migrant farm worker camp

Helped establish a partnership with a local community agency to implement a positive youth development program with children of immigrant families.
Co-developed a mixed methods research design for evaluating the impact of ICAN-2 on youth resilience, oversaw data collection and analysis
Contributed to the adaptation of the ICAN manual by introducing new material and module restructuring to enhance its ability to be implemented effectively.

Co-Investigator for PROGESSA
Collaborated with multiple community agencies to develop a community-based research project aimed at increasing educational attainment in child of migrant workers.

Designed a mixed methods research study to explore national, community, and familial barriers to educational achievement in the youth
Currently employing focus groups, surveys, interviews, and observational data to garner a systemic understanding of impediments to educational attainment
Plan to translate results into policy implications for local agencies currently serving this community and create new programs to meet gaps in service provision

Co-Investigator for the Eyes of Deception Project
Explored the impact of an arts-based community project aimed at stereotype reduction

Designed a qualitative research study to explore the process of racial and class stereotype reduction in upper-middle class youth and youth of immigrant and migrant families.
Employed focus groups, interviews, and observational data to evaluate the project
Analyzed the results using grounded theory and Critical Race Theory
Disseminated findings in a variety of venues: academic, community, and fiscal

Research Assistant for Florida Keys Children Shelter Partnership – Assisted in a project aimed at enhancing service provision at the only homeless shelter for youth in the Florida Keys

Helped develop a community-based research and consultation project, based on design thinking, to meet mental health needs of rural, homeless youth
Recruited doctoral and master’s level students to participate in holistic problem framing, including literature review, interviews, and focus groups
Currently working to utilize university resources to create a telemental health initiative to address these needs

Research Assistant for the Prevención y Salud Project
Collaborated with researchers at universities in Argentina and Spain to implement a community-based prevention program

Collaborated on a project designed to improve the neuro-cognitive development of children (from birth to eleven years old) living in conditions of extreme poverty in San Luis, Argentina
Researched grants using online databases, print resources, and university specific resources
Conducted literature review using mainly articles published in English and Spanish related to international community interventions and neuropsychological testing
Assisted in the development of the psycho-educational modules for families involved in the intervention
Coordinated meetings via Skype with international project partners

Project Coordinator for SPEC Check – Managed a mixed methods research project designed to investigate organizational ethics

Contributed to the refinement of the SPEC (Strength, Prevention, Empowerment, and Community Change) Check instrument
Recruited organizations to participate, facilitated focus groups
Disseminated the findings to the participating organizations and helped them to conceptualize ways to better align their practice with their mission and vision

Co-Investigator for Memory Load Study – Collaborated to develop study for Master’s thesis by expanding upon previous research examining implicit memory acquisition

Developed a task to load the working memory in young adult in order to make them perform akin to elderly adults on a reaction time (ASRT) task
Co-created computer program to administer the memory load
Administered computer tasks and WAIT-II verbal and cognitive measures and analyzed data using SPSS

Research Assistant for Office of General Counsel – Worked in a variety of capacities to implement Catholic University’s preventive law model

Worked independently to create and maintain community relations projects
Researched and assisted on ADA cases, created training materials for campus staff and faculty members regarding national and DC statutes
Maintained counsel’s website to provide faculty with ethical and legal resources
Trained undergraduates on legal issues pertinent to university functioning.