Erika Hernandez, a doctoral candidate and Ford Dissertation Fellow in the Department of Psychology, has been spotlighted in the Society for Research in Child Development’s Latinx Caucus.

In the profile, Hernandez speaks about her work investigating parent-child conversations and their impact on children’s socio-emotional development. During her third year of graduate school, began to perspective of the Latinx youth and family, and in general, ethnically and culturally diverse families into her research. Among the mentors she highlights is Julie Dunsmore, an associate professor of psychology. 

“[She] has always supported my exploration of identity in my personal life and research activities. I would not have been able to continue on this research trajectory without her support,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez said her dissertation is a mixed-methods project focused on intergenerational reminiscing in underrepresented families in the United States, in particular African American, Latinx, and Appalachian.

On advice to others in the Society for Research in Child Development’s Latinx community, Hernandez said, “My advice is to understand that it is perfectly fine to be interested in a research topic because it impacted your personal life. That’s where passion originates.”


Read the full story: https://latinxcaucus.srcd.org/spotlights/erika-hernandez-doctoral-candidate-virginia-tech/