Young Scholars Program Spotlight:
Dr. R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez

Dr. R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez has always been interested in the interplay between how communities, families, and schools work together to promote health and well-being in children. She began pursuing research on the impact of immigration-related stressors on the early care and education workforce and the children they work with through the Young Scholars Program (YSP) as a member of the 2018 cohort. Barajas-Gonzalez is currently analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from her YSP mixed-method study.

In December of 2019, she had the opportunity to provide testimony about her YSP research before the U.S. House of Representatives in a Congressional hearing titled, “Growing Up in Fear: How the Trump Administration’s Immigration Policies are Harming Children.” 

In this YSP Spotlight, Barajas-Gonzalez shares how her experience as a Young Scholar has influenced her research and career thus far.