Applied Human Development
Petra Hesse
Dr. Petra Hesse is clinical associate professor emerita of applied human development at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research interests are children’s emotional development and emotional education, children’s political socialization and political education, and children’s media and media literacy education. Trained in developmental and clinical psychology and international relations, Dr. […]
Melissa K. Holt
Dr. Melissa K. Holt is a professor of counseling psychology at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and a licensed psychologist. She is also director of the Kilachand Honors College at Boston University and the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Professor. Dr. Holt’s research explores how adolescents’ exposure to violence—particularly bias-based harassment […]
Yawei Huang
Yawei Huang is a doctoral student in applied human development at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. She is also a research assistant at CERES Institute for Children & Youth. Her research interests focus on the role of supportive social networks in promoting optimal developmental outcomes in adolescents, such as academic motivation, academic […]
Grace Kim
Dr. Grace S. Kim is a clinical professor in the Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development Department at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Dr. Kim was trained in clinical psychology and researches social justice education and Asian American psychology. She explores how students understand the meanings of diversity; how to teach […]
Nicole Kingdon
Nicole Kingdon is a doctoral student in educational studies with a concentration in language & literacy education at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Additionally, she is a graduate research fellow at the Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED), supporting the Playful Learning Institute Project, Multnomah Preschool for All Project, […]
Soe Young Lee
Soe Young Lee is a doctoral student in the Applied Human Development program at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research interests lie in positive youth development, critical consciousness, teaching and parenting practices, and ethnic-racial identity development. Following her passion to empower youths in minority populations, she hopes to identify ways to […]
Catherine Xinyu Liao
Catherine Xinyu Liao is a doctoral student in applied human development at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research interests focus on positive identity formation and identity negotiation among BIPOC youth. She aims to create culturally-responsive, action-oriented resources that empower BIPOC youth and equip the adults in their lives to better […]
Jessica Markham
Jessica Markham is a postdoctoral researcher at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her program of research focuses primarily on the development of instruction, intervention, and educational systems that integrate both social-emotional learning and academic skills. In simple terms, she is interested in how to make learning—and particularly learning to read—more therapeutic […]
John McCarthy
Dr. John McCarthy is a clinical associate professor and program director of applied human development at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. He is also the director of the Institute for Athletic Coach Education, which offers training and education for coaches in the community, particularly those involved in youth sport. Dr. McCarthy […]
Michael A. Medina
Dr. Michael A. Medina is an assistant professor of Applied Human Development at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, where he leads the Diversity & Development Lab. A Latino first-generation college graduate, he studies how educational and social contexts support young people’s academic success, belonging, and psychological well-being. Working with schools and […]