Student Voices

We are very proud of the diverse and dedicated students of our department. Read below for a more in-depth view of our students and their awards, research, and experiences.

2018-19 Outstanding Graduate Student Award:

Briana Bashaw-Wood

Briana is a wife, the mother of a lively 2-year-old, and a forever student.  Completing her masters is the completion of a 10-year dream filled with challenges, setbacks, new paths, the love of learning, and new forever friends.  She completed her BA in Psychology with a minor in Counseling and Social Change in 2010 and the EC-SEBRIS (now EC-TEaMH) program in 2012. Briana hopes to make a difference in the lives of the children and families that she works with and is excited to start her journey as an APCC (Associate Professional Clinical Counselor). 

Briana BashaW-WooD talks CFD

UNDERGRADUATES

2018-19 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award:

Rachel Glovinsky

Attending college at San Diego State University has provided me with the opportunity to find my individual voice, and explore my passions further. I have always been fascinated with both children and differing family dynamics, so studying Child and Family Development was a way to explore the subject matter that intrigued me. I took my undergraduate studies very serious; I recognized early on my educational career that I would need to attend graduate school to accomplish the goals I had set for myself. This said, I worked hard, and learned a lot along the way! I have been fortunate enough to form connections and relationships with many of my professors, something that has further strengthened my love for the field. There are such brilliant minds in the department, and I hope to one day inspire individuals in the same way some of my professors inspired me. After graduation, I will be working towards a Master of Social Welfare with the ultimate goal of applying for state licensure. I have been accepted into the MSW program at both Columbia University, and at the University of Southern California. While still deciding between the two, I feel extremely fortunate to have the chance to continue my education at universities that I could only dream about attending throughout my younger years. My particular interests lie in working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma in their past. After proper training and experience, I hope to one day work as a therapist within the juvenile penitentiary system.

Rachel Glovinsky discusses her CFD program experiences, including Project PipElines

Marina Sanchez

Marina Sanchez, a graduating senior, will receive her Bachelor's degree in Child and Family Development in May of 2019. After overcoming continuous obstacles and hardships, Marina was inspired to pursue a degree that would allow her to follow her passion of working with children. Marina spent the past few years being the sole provider for her family, volunteering, and recovering from a serious injury, all while excelling in her studies at SDSU.

For more on her important and inspirational story, click here. To see some of Marina Sanchez's research, visit our Student Research page.

Anele Villaneuva

Anele is a first-generation college student, majoring in Child and Family Development with one minor in Counseling and Social Change, and a second minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. She currently investigates executive function (i.e., attention control, cognitive inhibition, and memory) in English-speaking monolinguals and Spanish-English bilingual children. Additionally, she examines the characteristics of parent-child interactions in Spanish- and English-speaking parent-child dyads in speech and gestures from San Diego, CA. She aims to further study Spanish-speaking parent-child dyads from Mexico City to learn how culture, socioeconomic status, and immigration status may affect children’s expressive vocabulary.

Anele aims to focus on early language development and bilingualism in immigrant families in her graduate work. Specifically, she plans to explore caregiver dual language input in immigrant families with young children, develop caregiver-centered interventions, identify caregiver strengths, develop assessments that meet the needs of bilingual children and promote culturally- and linguistically- responsive ways to communicate with young children with communicative disabilities. Anele will start her doctoral studies at Northwestern University in Communication Sciences and Disorders and continue working with Dr. Weisleder.