Guadalupe Díaz Lara <gdiazlar@uci.edu>
I am a postdoctoral scholar with the Baby Books 2 project in the School of Education. I received my M.S and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University with emphasis on early childhood development and children’s educational experiences. My research interests are broadly focused on understanding and improving the individual and ecological factors (e.g. parenting) that influence the school readiness and educational experiences of children and families from diverse backgrounds–specifically, in children and families from ethnically-diverse backgrounds and children who are English Language Learners. I focus on the influence of self-regulation, English Language proficiency, and parenting on children’s educational experiences and connecting research to community-based programs to improve the educational experiences of children and their parents.
Fun fact: As an undergraduate, I worked in a funeral home and creating educational materials on invasive species.
I graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in Spanish in June 2018. Before joining the Baby Books 2 project, I was a data collector for the Center for Improving Child Care Quality (CICCQ) for Dr. Howes at UCLA. During my undergraduate career, I was a research assistant for the Culture and Anxiety Lab for Mental Health Advances (CALMA), headed by Dr. Chavira, and I was also a teacher’s aide at the Krieger Child Care Center. Generally, my research interests surround factors that affect child development and psychopathology, as well as finding ways to make evidence based treatments more feasible, accessible and culturally competent for low-income, minority families. In the near future, I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical child psychology, developmental psychology or human development.
Fun Fact: I was part of Grupo Folklórico de UCLA (GFU) as an undergrad and one of my favorite regions to perform is Sinaloa!
I graduated from University of California, Irvine, (UCI) in June 2017 and double majored in Sociology and Education with an emphasis in early child development and a minor in Chicano/Latino Studies. As an undergrad I had the opportunity to be a research assistant in the DISC lab before becoming a full time research assistant after graduation. Overall, my research interests are exploring how people of color perceive race and ethnicity, including what personal conflicts may arise from this. As well as how general perception of race and ethnicity, influences people of color’s accessibility in education and health services.
Fun Fact: I recently joined a kickboxing gym.