Sasha Guillory  is a graduate student in the Mills Infant Mental Health Program. She came to Mills with a BA in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College and will complete her master's degree in 2013. Sasha’s volunteer work at Children’s Hospital with autistic children was especially influential to her decision to pursue infant mental health. Sasha's thesis research examines the family and environmental contributions to infant and toddler sleep problems and the intersection of sleep problems with social emotional development. She is an intern at Early Childhood Mental Health Program in Richmond where she works with young children in classroom settings. Sasha plans to add a doctorate in clinical psychology to her infant mental health background.
Liliana Gonzalez  (Psychology BA, Mills ’12) is a 4+1 BA/MA Infant Mental Health master's degree candidate and will complete her master’s degree in 2013. As an undergraduate, Liliana was an active member of the Mujeres Unidas organization working to create community and support network for Latinas on the Mills campus. She worked as a student advocate and Resident Assistant, and also collaborated with other students to create dialogue and events around National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Liliana's thesis research examines the perceptions and involvement of fathers of Mexican heritage with their infants. Liliana is an intern at Epiphany Center in San Francisco, working with mothers of children from infancy to age three in relationship-based intervention. She plans to continue working with communities in the Bay Area to support nurturing relationships between children and their families.
Jennifer Keeling  (Psychology BA, Mills ’12) is a 4+1 BA/MA Infant Mental Health master's degree candidate, transferring to Mills from Berkeley City College, and will complete her master's degree in 2013. Jennifer worked 13 years in mental health with children diagnosed with emotional disturbance, which led to her interest in early intervention and the Infant Mental Health Program. Her thesis research explores the contributions of mothers' life experiences, perceptions, and beliefs about parenting to her relationship with her young child. Jennifer is an intern at the Infant Parent Program in San Francisco, which provides mental health services to at risk families and young children. Jennifer plans to work with the Native American community in the San Francisco Bay Area to strengthen families by providing culturally sensitive early intervention services and expanding community resources for parents and caregivers.
Sonya Messina is a graduate student in the Mills Infant Mental Health master's degree program and will complete her degree in 2013. She came to Mills with a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Sonya's thesis research focuses on the factors and constraints that influence grandmothers in the role of providing kinship care for their grandchildren. Sonya is an intern at Kidango (Fremont, CA) working in two inclusive classrooms for typically developing and special needs children between the ages of 18 months to 3 years. She will be learning about conducting assessments, as well as taking part in home-visits with children and their families. Sonya's future plans are to work in the community with children and their families in home-visiting programs.
Emile Martin (Psychology BA, Mills ’12) is a 4+1 BA/MA Infant Mental Health master's degree candidate, transferring to Mills from Chabot Community College. Emile will complete her master's degree in 2013. Her thesis research examines how mothers respond to and feel about babies' states. Emile is an intern at Pre to Three in San Mateo, which provides mental health services to mothers and children ranging in age from newborn to 5 years old. Emily's goals are to work within the Latino community helping families strengthen their relationships through early intervention services.
Ariadne Nelson (Psychology BA, Mills ’12) is a 4+1 BA/MA Infant Mental Health master's degree candidate and will complete her master’s degree in 2013. Ari's thesis research examines family contributors to cognitive development and delay of gratification in 4-year olds. Ari is lab manager for the Early Childhood and Family Lab and also interns at Epiphany Center in San Francisco, working in early intervention and relationship-based care for children from infancy to age three. Ari plans to continue her education to pursue a doctoral degree in developmental psychology. Her life goals include contributing to social justice, using research to advocate for the wellbeing of all young children and families through restructuring social institutions and policy aligned with children’s developmental needs and limitations.
Elizabeth O'Connor is a junior psychology major in the 4+1 BA/MA Infant Mental Health Program. Elizabeth transferred to Mills from the New School for Social Research in New York City where she worked as a research assistant in The Center for Attachment Research. She will complete her BA in 2014 and her master’s degree in infant mental health in 2015. She currently works in the lab on faculty and student projects, assisting with lab playroom studies and preparing and coding data for analysis. Elizabeth plans to apply her infant mental health program experience to intervention in preschool settings after completing her education at Mills.
Maggie Rodriguez (Psychology BA, Mills ’12) is a lab research assistant working with Dr. George on the Experiences of Parenting study. Maggie transferred to Mills from Solano Community College. She worked in the children’s school while attending Solano Community College and became deeply interested in how young children develop. Maggie is currently working in the lab to gain research experience and plans to apply to a graduate program in psychology.
Charity Walden is a senior psychology major and will graduate with her BA in 2013. She transferred from Skyline College as a junior and is planning to attend graduate school to get her PsyD in counseling psychology. Charity currently assists with the graduate research studies. She is also active on the Mills campus working as a Resident Assistant and is an officer for both the Fem Dems, and the Black Women's Collective. Charity hopes to become the US Secretary of Education, although she says that she realizes that this position means that she may never sleep again.
Liz Walker is a senior psychology major in the 4+1 BA/MA Infant Mental Health Program, coming to Mills with an AA from Peralta Community College. She will complete her BA in 2013 and her master’s degree in infant mental health in 2014. Liz’s thesis research examines the role of parent self-efficacy and self esteem in parenting. She plans to become a licensed psychotherapist who works with current and prospective parents to help them examine their childhood experience and current setbacks to implement change that supports successful parenting.
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