{"id":97,"date":"2018-01-09T15:52:04","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T23:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/champagne\/?page_id=97"},"modified":"2026-07-31T14:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T19:49:07","slug":"lab-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/lab-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Research Team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Principal Investigator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Nneka Ibekwe-Okafor, PhD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

niokafor@utexas.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Nneka Ibekwe-Okafor<\/a> (Dr. O) is an Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies with courtesy appointments in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. Her interdisciplinary research examines how ecological systems, including family resources, early learning environments, and community conditions, shape the early developmental experiences of Black children. She focuses on how contextual factors support or constrain children\u2019s academic, social, and emotional wellbeing, and how promotive processes within families, classrooms, and communities foster optimal development. Her work bridges developmental science, quantitative methods, and early childhood policy to generate evidence that strengthens early learning systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ibekwe-Okafor received a Ph.D. in Human Development and Quantitative Methods from the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, an Ed.M. from Harvard University in Prevention Science Research, and a M.S.W. from Columbia University. In her undergraduate studies, she majored in African American Studies and Sociology and was a NCAA Division I volleyball player at the University of California, Davis. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Research Operations Manager<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Ilana Yoon<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ilanayoon@utexas.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ilana Yoon graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is currently in her second year of the MSW program at the University of Chicago\u2019s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Ilana is interested in how adapting and embedding mental health supports within youth-serving systems can improve wellness and reduce inequalities. She is particularly interested in the further development of multicultural psychotherapy models and the broader utilization of culturally competent care. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Graduate Research Assistants <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Amber Fowler<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Amber Fowler is a third year Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin, in the Early Childhood Education program in the College of Education. Amber is an Austin Texas native and Early childhood educator who taught Kindergarten for 6 years. Amber is interested in racialized school closures and black early childhood experiences. She is also interested in teacher education programs and teacher agency in the classroom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Chibuike Kalu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chibuike Kalu is a second year Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin, in the African and African Diaspora Studies Department. He is interested in the social and emotional development of children developing in rural Nigeria. Specifically, exploring the links between caregiver-child attachment, structural barriers, and child outcomes. He hopes to influence local and national development agendas to promote the wellbeing of young children in Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kaeleigh Hernandez<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kaeleigh Hernandez is a second-year doctoral student in the Early Childhood Education program at the University of Texas at Austin, in the College of Education. Her research interests focus on educational equity, child care quality, and the cultural assets of children and families, with a particular interest in investigating these issues across various early care and education systems. Informed by her background in early childhood policy and advocacy, Kaeleigh aims to redefine notions of child care quality by critically examining the experiences of multiply marginalized children and families. Through her work, she seeks to highlight the pivotal role early care and education systems and programs play in fostering positive academic, social, and emotional development for young children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Undergraduate Research Assistants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Zoe Perez<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Zoe Perez is a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Government. She is interested in research on parental incarceration and its effects on early childhood development, particularly how family separation impacts children\u2019s learning, emotional regulation, and school readiness. She focuses on the disproportionate effects on Black, Brown, and immigrant families and explores policies aimed at alternatives to incarceration and family-centered sentencing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Temi Ojei<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Temi Ojei is a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Neuroscience. She is interested in how systemic inequities and environmental stressors influence cognitive development and long-term wellness in marginalized communities. She aims to contribute to research that informs community-based interventions and equitable healthcare policies, bridging clinical neurological research and public health advocacy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Abira Opio<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Abira Opio is a senior at the University of Houston, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Her research interests focus on the mental health of Black Americans, with a particular focus on the ways racial and generational trauma shape the socioeconomic outcomes of Black families. She is also deeply interested in the intersectionality experienced by individuals within the Black diaspora and how overlapping identities influence mental health and well-being. Abira aspires to pursue a PhD in Clinical or Counselling Psychology to become a licensed psychologist and therapist, where she can bridge the use of academic research and clinical work to serve individuals from all walks of life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Research Scholars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Lab Alumni<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Alexandra Parker<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in English 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isabella Sanchez<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Government 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kynadi Jones<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flida Etchouekang<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Plan II Honors 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chloe Rouss<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Candidate 2027<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kam McQueen<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and African and African Diaspora Studies 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miah Robertson<\/strong>, Hampton University, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Precious Ngwayarudza<\/strong>, North Dakota State University, Ph.D. Candidate in Human Development and Family Science<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Moore<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Science in Mathematics 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Walton<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Science in Psychology 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathanael Tharps<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Social Work (Social Inequality Health and Policy) 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samridhi Roshan<\/strong>, University of Texas at Austin, Master of Science in Computer Science  2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Research Team Principal Investigator Nneka Ibekwe-Okafor, PhD Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin niokafor@utexas.edu Dr. Nneka Ibekwe-Okafor (Dr. O) is an Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies with courtesy appointments in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. Her interdisciplinary research examines how ecological systems, including family resources, early learning environments, and community conditions, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-97","page","type-page","status-publish","entry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"wide-feature":false,"large-landscape":false,"medium-landscape":false,"medium-portrait":false,"small-square":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"laitsadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/author\/laitsadmin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Research Team Principal Investigator Nneka Ibekwe-Okafor, PhD Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin niokafor@utexas.edu Dr. Nneka Ibekwe-Okafor (Dr. O) is an Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies with courtesy appointments in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. Her interdisciplinary research examines how ecological systems, including family resources, early learning environments, and community conditions,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":147,"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1197,"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97\/revisions\/1197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.la.utexas.edu\/racelab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}