The Education Collaboratory at Yale launched in July 2023. To share more about our work, we are spotlighting all the dedicated team members of our lab, highlighting their work and what brings them to our team's mission to advance the science and practice of SEL.
What is your role at the Education Collaboratory?
Since the fall of 2022, I have been an undergraduate research intern for the lab. In this role, I am mainly focused on the Social and Emotional Learning Observation Checklist for Elementary Schools (SELOC-E) project, specializing in reviewing and coding videos to identify effective SEL teaching pedagogies throughout our data that is compiled from classrooms nationwide. Also, I work on communicating the lab's work for educational stakeholders by designing materials that share our findings in ways accessible for teachers, students, and school leaders.
What brought you to the field of SEL?
Throughout my academic journey, I have been drawn to psychology, particularly student learning. I strive to understand how children socialize and grow in their social and emotional intelligence. When I was in high school, I authored and published two children’s books and associated curricula on SEL topics. I have long felt that while schools traditionally offer science along with math, language arts, and the other U.S. educational standards called the “Common Core,” students will greatly benefit from the “Common More” -- important lessons in kindness, empathy, inclusion, goal setting, etc. This passion is what brought me to Yale, the birthplace of SEL, its famed Child Study Center, and now the Education Collaboratory.
What line of research do you find the most interesting/intriguing in the field right now?
I am most interested in the work being accomplished by the SELOC-E project and the idea of isolating and analyzing specific teaching pedagogies in the classroom to enhance effective social and emotional development. It is interesting to observe how teachers can bring social and emotional learning implicitly into an educational environment in collaboration with traditional academic core subjects. I am also fascinated by the emotional health of children, in general, and feel drawn to the area in their advocacy, in the health arena, legally, or otherwise. Towards this end, this summer I will be interning at the Department of Justice, Criminal Division in their Child Exploitation and Obscenity section to learn about the legal proceedings behind these cases and protecting children’s mental health and security.
What energizes you outside of work?
Adventures energize me outside of work! I love being outdoors, especially hiking, running, and participating in water sports. Additionally, as part of Yale’s Climbing Team, I enjoy putting physical activity and challenges into new and social experiences.