Our Team

Bethany F. Hoff

Research summary: How do individuals create their own development? Founded in Positive Youth Development, my research explores how adolescents and young adults engage in intentional self-regulation to set and pursue goals. My dissertation work explores goal focus: whether individuals frame their goals in terms of the process or the outcome.

Research keywords: intentional self-regulation, goal focus, adolescence, backup planning 

Contact: bflemng2@illinois.edu; Website: https://bethanyfhoff.weebly.com/research.html

Ananya Tiwari

Research summary: I study socio-emotional skills at the intersection of different identities like specially gender across cultures. Although socio-emotional skills have been shown to predict academic outcomes and long term success, they haven’t quite been investigated for underrepresented groups in terms of finding solutions that are contextual in nature. In this regard I am studying socioemotional skills like sense of belonging and self-esteem among others, in rural adolescent girls in India prone to early marriage. 

Research keywords: socio-emotional skills, gender, international, COVID19, evaluation 

Contact: ananyat2@illinois.edu

Jisoo Youn

Research summary: What can parents do to help their children feel more comfortable in their journey of career development? I am interested in answer this question through quantitative methods. Also, my research explores how cultural contexts impact parent-child relationships and children’s career development.

Research keywords: parent-child relationship, career development, occupational interest profile, culture

Contact: jisooy2@illinois.edu

Erin Budesheim

Research summary: My research broadly focuses on the mental health and positive development of college students with a particular interest in transitions.  I specifically explore how social media usage (i.e., frequency, platform, and content) impacts and predicts mental health indices such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness.  

Research keywords: mental health, social media, college students, positive development

Contact: erinfb2@illinois.edu

Madison Sewell

Research summary: I study social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills in adolescence and young adulthood. I’m particularly interested in how SEB skills are linked to positive youth development, educational outcomes, health, and well-being

Research keywords: socioemotional skills, positive youth development, adolescence

Contact: msewell2@illinois.edu

Gabrielle Drong

Research summary: My research interest lies in the study of trauma, emotion regulation, and mental health. In particular, I am focused on loss and the differing ways that grief is processed. Why do some people assimilate loss in less time and with less emotional distress than others? How is grief different for those who lose something vs those who lose someone? What are the social implications for one who experiences loss?

Research keywords: trauma, bereavement, individual differences, coping

Contact: grdong2@illinois.edu