Graduate Students

5th-Year Student: Brianna T. Ricker, M.S., M.A. Texas Tech University E-mail: brianna.ricker@ttu.edu

Brianna graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Southwestern University. She then worked as a caseworker for adults with serious mental illness in a small, rural community mental health clinic. Brianna completed her M.S. in Psychological Sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas, where she studied developmental trajectories of externalizing behaviors among low income, ethnic minority children and how these trajectories are associated with academic achievement. She also completed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Texas Tech University, where she studied the mediating role of peer victimization in the links between harmful parenting behaviors and child externalizing behavior problems.

Her current research interests include parenting behaviors and the role of parents play in fostering adaptive outcomes for youth. She is particularly interested in disseminating effective parenting strategies to a broader range of families, with the ultimate goal of promoting healthy psychosocial development in children and adolescents. She is also interested in factors that influence the development of parenting practices and how these behaviors impact different aspects of child development over time.

Master’s Thesis: “Parental Psychological Control and Childhood Externalizing Problems: The Mediating Role of Peer Victimization”

Qualifying Examination: “A Review of Biological, Cognitive, and Social Factors that Influence the Links between Parenting Behaviors and Peer Difficulties Among Children and Adolescents”

Dissertation: “Investigating a Brief Positive Parenting Seminar Series as a Universal Intervention”

Internship: Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program, Charleston, SC

Lab Manager; 4rd-Year Student: Carlos Sanchez, M.A. Texas Tech University E-mail: carlos.sanchez@ttu.edu

Carlos graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Florida International University (FIU). He then began working as a research assistant for the S.E.L.F-Regulation Lab at FIU, which focuses on children's self-regulation in the context of school readiness, nutrition, and interventions.

His current research interests include factors that affect social wellness among children, particularly as it pertains to relationships. He is also interested in understanding how different external and internal factors may contribute to outcomes associated with peer victimization. Lastly, Carlos is interested in exploring ways to improve the effectiveness of intervention programs targeting peer victimization.

Master’s Thesis: “Peer Victimization and Callous-Unemotional Traits: The Impact of Parents and Teachers”

Qualifying Examination: “Callous-Unemotional Traits, Stability, Parents, and Intervention: A Developmental Perspective”

3rd-Year Student: Montana Baker, M.S., M.A. Texas Tech University E-mail: montana.baker@ttu.edu

Montana graduated with a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience and minors in Sociology and Biology from the University of Denver. She then worked as a mental health counselor at a residential treatment facility for teens who had been exposed to trauma. After two years of working as a counselor, she attended the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to obtain a M.S. in Psychology. At UTSA, her research focused on how mother-child emotion dialogues relate to children’s behavioral development.

Her current research goals are to study the influence of community violence on behavioral development and possible interventions to improve the mental health of children and adolescents impacted by community violence. Additionally, she is interested in improving the identification of risk factors and interventions for youth with suicidal ideation/behavior.

Master’s Thesis: “Witnessed Community Violence and Aggression in Childhood: The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation”

2nd-Year Student: Elizabeth (“Lizzy”) Gunder, B.A. Texas Tech University E-mail: elizabeth.gunder@ttu.edu

Lizzy graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Forensic Science from Texas Tech University in Spring 2022. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Positive Youth Development Lab and Dr. Adam Schmidt’s Pathways to Resilient Development (PRYDe) Lab. She then worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant in both the Positive Youth Development Lab and Dr. Sean Mitchell’s Suicide Risk and Prevention (SRPR) Lab on a project focused on providing training to primary care physicians across the West Texas region on evidence-based screening and intervention methods for youth patients experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors.

Lizzy’s current research interests include how adverse experiences early in life impact social and emotional development throughout childhood and adolescence. She is also interested in the impacts of various forms of trauma, including peer victimization, on the development of psychopathology. Lastly, Lizzy is interested in investigating how to improve the efficacy of clinical interventions for youth experiencing peer victimization.

Master’s Thesis: “Sleep Problems, Emotion (Dys)regulation, and Positive Affect: The Moderating Role of Physical Activity”

2nd-Year Student: Jenna Sims, B.S. Texas Tech University E-mail: jennsims@ttu.edu

Jenna graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Alabama in 2019. She then began working as a research coordinator at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Urban Youth Trauma Center, which serves youth and families affected by trauma and community violence. Jenna subsequently moved back to her hometown of New Orleans and worked for Tulane University as a research coordinator for projects involving the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder and psychophysiology in very young children with disruptive behavior.

Jenna’s research interests include examining risk and protective factors that influence social, behavioral, and health outcomes for youth experiencing adversity or traumatic stress and, in turn, understanding how to better address problems and foster resilience through implementing and evaluating evidence-based interventions. She is also passionate about identifying and reducing barriers to treatment access for under-resourced youth and families, primarily through school-based interventions.

Master’s Thesis: “Understanding What Characteristics of Peer Victimization Predict Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Children”

Graduate Student Collaborators

Victoria Dennis, M.A. Texas Tech University E-mail: victoria.e.dennis@ttu.edu

Victoria is currently a 4th-year doctoral student in clinical psychology at Texas Tech University under the mentorship of Dr. Adam Schmidt. She began collaborating with the Positive Youth Development Lab in Spring 2023 and currently serves as a positive parenting seminar leader. Her research and clinical interests involve improving the identification of risk and protective factors for at-risk youth and providing intervention services for this population; she is also interested in neurocognitive assessments for children and adolescents.