People

Dr. Booker received his doctoral degree from the Psychology Department at Virginia Tech in 2015 under the mentorship of Drs. Julie Dunsmore and Thomas Ollendick, and then completed a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Psychology Department at Emory University under the mentorship of Dr. Robyn Fivush.  Dr. Booker’s research interests include the development of social and emotional competence from late childhood into early adulthood.

He focuses broadly on emotional, personality, and identity development as they inform psychological resilience and social adjustment.

Mikayla is a second-year graduate student studying Developmental Psychology. She completed her B.A. in Psychology at St. Olaf College in her home state of Minnesota. Her research interests broadly encompass adolescent social and emotional development within the context of families and schools, including parent-adolescent interactions, emotion socialization, and autobiographical reminiscing.  Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, cooking, watching sports, and coaching volleyball.

Chloe is a first-year graduate student studying Developmental Psychology. She completed her B.A. in Psychology at Northwestern State University in her home state of Louisiana. Her research interests address the transition to college and major milestones of the college experience. Chloe is interested in the interplay of personality, behavior, and physical health for college students. Her recent work focuses on how life stories about the college transition relate to students’ personality factors and students’ extracurricular involvement.

Lauren is currently a senior working towards a BA in Psychology with minors in Criminology and Women and Gender Studies. After graduating, she aspires to become a licensed clinical social worker once she obtains her Master’s degree. Lauren’s hometown is Kansas City, MO and she enjoys reading, painting, and watching movies in her free time. This is her third year in the Positive Youth Development Lab.