Principle Investigator

Diamond Bravo

Diamond Y. Bravo, Ph.D.

Email: diamond.bravo@ucr.edu
Gender pronouns: She/ Ella

Dr. Diamond Bravo is an Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology at UC Riverside. Being a Professor at UCR is nostalgic for Dr. Bravo as she once attended this university as an undergraduate and it is where she earned her B.A. in Psychology. She then earned her M.A in Experimental Psychology from California State University, Northridge, and her Ph.D. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University. Following her Ph.D., Dr. Bravo completed a three-year post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Bravo’s research interests include cultural resilience, motivation and achievement, and discrimination. Dr. Bravo believes it is important to conduct research using a grounded perspective and she hopes to build close relationships within the communities she studies. A fun fact about Dr. Bravo is that she has a large playful poodle that sometimes accompanies her to the lab (free puppy therapy yay!).

Graduate Students

Ashley Miller  

Ashley Miller

Email: amill023@ucr.edu
Gender Pronouns: She/Her

Ashley Miller is a third-year graduate student in Dr. Carolyn Murray’s lab and Dr. Diamond Bravo’s lab. She received her B.S. in psychology from UCR in 2019, and will receive her M.A., from UCR in Spring 2022. Ashley’s research interests center around individuals working and procrastination behavior as they approach deadlines. She is especially interested in how emotion, personality, and motivation may influence procrastination. In her free time, Ashley enjoys making ice cream and teaching her dog, Basco, to perform tricks.

Brenda Rincon

Brenda Rincon

Email: brincon@ucr.edu
Gender pronouns: She/ Ella

Brenda Rincon is a first-generation college student who grew up in Palmdale, CA, a predominantly Latinx community. She maintains close ties with the teachers that guided her in attaining her academic pursuits and even worked as a substitute teacher at her alma maters. Brenda graduated from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) as a McNair Scholar in 2019 with a B.S. in Human Biology and Psychology, specializing in Developmental Psychology. While at UCSD, Brenda worked as a Peer Mentor for the TRIO Student Support Services Program (SSSP) and provided academic support for nontraditional and underserved students as a workshop facilitator. Her research interests include mentorship, imposter syndrome, and support system effects on academic achievement and motivation among students of color. Brenda started as our lab’s lab manager and is now a second-year Ph.D. student in the Developmental Psychology program at UCR.

Hugo Salazar

Email: .
Gender pronouns:

Research Assistants

Marianne Alcala

Email: malca047@ucr.edu

Gender pronouns: She/Her

Research Interests:

Marianne is interested in the impact of art on its viewer, how it can be used to bring communities together, and be used as symbol of strength and resistance.

Email: jamad011@ucr.edu

Gender pronouns: She/Her/Ella

Research interests:

Jennifer’s interests consist of cultural dynamics within institutions such as education, leadership, and self. For instance, some topics include mentorship, imposter syndrome, and student organizations.

Sneha Amin

Email: .
Gender pronouns: .

Research Interests:

Jannire Ambriz

Jannire Ambriz

Email: jambr005@ucr.edu
Gender pronouns: She/They

Research Interests:

Adriana Castro

Email: acast385@ucr.edu
Gender pronouns: She/Her/Ella

Research Interests:

Adriana is a 3rd year (senior standing) student studying Psychology and minoring in Law & Society. She is interested in studying Latinx/Chicanx identity and motivation amongst undocumented students pursuing higher education.

Ashley Coria

Email: .
Gender pronouns: .

Research Interests:

Braydon Goldberg

Email: bgold016@ucr.edu
Gender pronouns: He/Him/His

Research Interests:

Braydon is a 4th year transfer student. He possesses an interest in help others with mental disorders, trauma, and a state of belonging in relationships. Additionally, he feels very passionate about helping families, couples, and individuals overcome discrepancies among parent-child conflict.

Ulises Mata

Email: umata001@ucr.edu

Gender pronouns: He/Him/El

Research Interests:

Ulises Mata, a third year psychology (B.S.) and Education (B.A.) undergraduate, possesses an inspiring ambition to begin a new research project with the guidance of Dr. Bravo, his honors faculty advisor. The study aims to examine experiences with discrimination and microaggression, alongside coping responses, among college students identifying as Hispanic/Latinx in the U.S. and Oaxaca, Mexico. Alongside the honors capstone project, Ulises’ related research interests include perceived barriers, discrimination, mental health, and identity formation. Ulises currently serves as a peer mentor for TRIO Scholars Program and the Academic Resource Center (ARC), and endeavors to pursue a Ph.D. in developmental psychology. A fun fact about being a first generation college student, Ulises is also a first generation traveler after participating in a study abroad program in Summer 2023 in Oaxaca, MX through UCR’s Opportunity Abroad Program (OAP).
Laura Perez

Laura Perez

Email: lpere131@ucr.edu
Gender pronouns: She/ Ella

Research Interests:

Laura is a fourth-year psychology major and sociology minor. Laura is currently working on independent research that focuses on in-group discrimination and colorism within the Latinx community. This research specifically focuses on gender differences and the impacts of these structures on the mental health of Latinx adolescents. Laura is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and continuing her research on adolescents. In her free time, Laura enjoys going to night markets to try new fusion foods, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family.

Elizabeth Serna

Email: esern008@ucr.edu

Gender pronouns: She/Her

Research Interests:

Developmental psychology- how traumas influence our perceptions/ cultural belonging/ discrimination