People

Faculty

Jenny Padilla

Jenny Padilla is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Collegiate Chair of the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families. She is also a Faculty Fellow for the Institute for Latino Studies and the Eck Institute for Global Health. She earned her BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University. A major goal of Dr. Padilla's research is to deepen understanding of the diversity of youth and family experiences within the Latino population, with a focus on cultural values and family dynamics that influence roles, relationships, and youth well-being. Her work highlights values like familism/familismo and their role in supporting Latino youth’s growth, leveraging family relationships—including those with mothers, fathers, and siblings—and cultural factors to address mental health challenges, reduce risky behaviors, and promote college attendance and achievement.

Graduate Students

Adriana Miranda

Ariana is from the Chicagoland area. She is a first-year psychology Ph.D. student in the developmental program at the University of Notre Dame. She received a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in developmental and a B.S. in Communication with a concentration in interpersonal relationships at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is interested in research involving health disparities in ethnic minority communities for children and adolescents, and the intersection of family dynamics and culture. During her free time, she enjoys reading, going to sporting events, and spending time with family and friends.

Yunyan Zhao

Yunyan Zhao received her B.Sc. in psychology from Central China Normal University, and M.Ed in developmental psychology from Beijing Normal University. She is interested in child and adolescent development, family dynamics and family system theory, and person-centered methods. She likes to go to movies and plays, go to fairs and other outdoor activities. She does yoga and watch volleyball games. Besides that, she is a huge fan of glutinous rice products.

Alijah Ty Chalas

Alijah received his B. A. in Psychology from New York University and is interested in studying child and adolescent identity in Latinx communities. He is additionally interested in ethno-cultural differences in the shaping of adolescent identity. In his free time, he enjoys going out with friends, cooking, and listening to music.

Julia Luchi

Bilingual Project Coordinator

Yadira Alvarez

Yadira received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Georgetown University and her Master’s in Child Development from the Erikson Institute in Chicago. She is interested in children’s mental health, parent-child relationships, developmental impact of maternal postpartum depression on young children, social-emotional and behavioral problems in young children, and the impact of trauma and cultural context on parenting and child developmental outcomes. During her free time, she enjoys running and cooking for her friends and family.