Arlenis A Santana, PhD
Home department:
VCU Department of Psychology
Doctoral program:
Developmental Psychology
Faculty adviser:
Chelsea Williams, Ph.D.
I completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology at State University of New York, College at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo) and joined the developmental psychology program at VCU in fall 2018.
I am interested in Latinx family dynamics—specifically how familial relationships (i.e., parent-child relationships, siblings’ relationships) serve as a protective factor when dealing with environmental stressors such as discrimination, economic hardships and mental health. I am also interested in cultural processes such as acculturation and Latinx familism.
Currently, I am a member of the E.M.P.O.W.E.R. Youth Lab, directed by Chelsea Williams, Ph.D. In the future, I would like to be a professor and teach diversity courses.