Dear Alumni, Friends, and Supporters,

Welcome to the first edition of HDFS Connections, our new departmental newsletter. We are eager to share the latest department news during this exciting time for Human Development and Family Sciences.

Some of our outstanding faculty have traveled the world and participated in international engagement. Faculty share their personal experiences from study abroad, research and service projects.

This semester was filled with many achievements made by students. I encourage you to read the below news, which showcases Outstanding Seniors Ashli Sechrist and Savannah Pannell, graduate student Derek Morgan with his winning research poster and a student spotlight of Destiny Taylor.

We are excited to share about the events hosted by the department, including a mental health panel for graduate students and the 2022 Conference in Women's and Gender Studies.

Your support is crucial to our success and mission of the department. Whether it's mentoring and providing advice, offering internships, sharing your story with the college, or investing in the department, your support makes a huge difference.

Enjoy reading our updates and wonderful news from our department!

Dana Weiser, Ph.D.
Department Chair, Associate Professor
Human Development and Family Sciences
College of Human Sciences

International Focus

Many HDFS faculty and students have engaged in international experiences, ranging from study abroad to global collaborative research to service opportunities in other countries. All who traveled report being inexorably changed by the experience - both personally and professionally and have catapulted into new positions, and sometimes into new directions, of leadership, employment and service.

Read more >>>

Human Development & Family Sciences Ph.D. Student Earns First Place in Poster Competition

HDFS graduate student, Derek Morgan, won first place for his research poster on parental mental health during COVID-19 at the McKenzie Lectureship Series Conference.

Read More >>

Student Spotlight: Destiny Taylor

Destiny Taylor is a Human Sciences major with three concentrations including Human Development & Family Sciences, Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies, and Nutritional Sciences. She worked with HDFS Chair, Dana Weiser, Ph.D., to develop a coding guide for a project on infidelity partners' relationship trajectories. Destiny was accepted into the country's top graduate schools to pursue a career in ministerial arts.

Read More >>

Early Childhood Education Outstanding Senior Ashli Sechrist

Human Development & Family Sciences Outstanding Senior Savannah Pannell

Ashli and Savannah were recognized at the Outstanding Senior Award Ceremony, on May 12. They were selected for this award for academic achievement and for representing the College of Human Sciences' mission of "improving and enhancing the human condition".

Click to learn more about Ashli and Savannah.

Faculty Discuss Mental Health with HDFS Graduate Students

The Human Development and Family Sciences Graduate Student Association hosted a panel regarding mental health and graduate student life during this spring semester. The panelists consisted of Dr. Christy Rogers, Mrs. Mitzi Ziegner, and Dr. Ali Luempert. This panel was specifically important since a discussion of mental health was requested by graduate students due to concerns regarding the ongoing process of assistantship responsibilities, coursework deadlines, familial/friend relationships, and the toll on mental health. Specifically, students were interested in strategies regarding how to prioritize their mental health and identify common signs of chronic stress.

Read More>>>

2022 Conference in Women's and Gender Studies

The Women's & Gender Studies program, directed by HDFS Professor Elizabeth Sharp, hosted the 38th All-University AnnualConference on the Advancement of Women on April 22. The conference, which began in 1983, is regarded as Texas Tech's longest-running event. WGS is celebrating its 40th year as an academic program. In 1981, a group of students organized a rally in support of the program and began working with campus partners and sponsors to build it. Keynote speaker, Jillian Hernandez from the University of Florida, spoke on the Aesthetics of Excess: The Art and Politics of Black and Latina Embodiment, analyzing clothing, makeup and hairstyles of working-class Black and Latina women.

-Director Dr. Elizabeth Sharp, HDFS Professor

Yvonne Caldera, Ph.D.

HDFS extends a heartfelt thanks to Professor Yvonne Caldera, Ph.D., for 28 years as a researcher, teacher, mentor, and innovator. Caldera retires this August after a career studying parent-infant relationships, infant care, father involvement, children’s play and gender, and parenting.

Caldera’s ground-breaking research, En Sus Manos, was one of the first studies to focus on middle class Mexican-American families. Caldera’s team interviewed parents at home about childcare and filmed parent-child interactions. One of the noticeable results was how much fathers were interested in parenting. Caldera and her colleague edited a volume on Mexican American children and families.

Read More >>>

In Memoriam: Cat Pausé, Human Development & Family Sciences Alumna

The College of Human Sciences lost a beloved alumna and former faculty member, Caitlin “Cat” Pausé, a 2007 graduate of the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS), on March 22, 2022, at the age of 42.

Pausé obtained her B.A. in 1999, her M.A. from Texas Tech in 2002, and her Ph.D., also from Texas Tech, in 2007. Pausé's doctoral work was done under Gwendolyn T. Sorell, Ph.D., and her dissertation explored weight identity in morbidly obese women.

Read More>>>

Faculty Features

The Human Development and Family Sciences faculty and staff members have done incredible work over the school year and have many achievements and accomplishments. Click down below to read more about the awards/recognitions, grant funding, publications and other news happening in the HDFS community.

Read More>>>

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