Rebecca Covarrubias, assistant professor of psychology, has been selected to receive the 2019 Latino Caucus Early Career Award from the Society for Research in Child Development.
The award, which is accompanied by a monetary prize, will be presented at the society's March 2019 business meeting in Baltimore.
The Latino Caucus is made up of child development researchers who are dedicated to doing high-quality research with Latinx children, youth, and families.
A social and cultural psychologist, Covarrubias is interested the importance of reflecting the cultural strengths and practices of students from diverse backgrounds in educational settings as a way to foster inclusion and equity. With her team of student researchers in the Culture and Achievement Collaborative, she works to translate research findings into practices that can shift the culture of institutions and help students thrive. Covarrubias is the faculty director of the Student Success Evaluation & Research Center, and she co-leads UCSC's first-generation initiative, which produces programming to support first-generation students and raises awareness about their needs and strengths.
In the award letter, the selection committee highlighted the "conceptual and methodological rigor" of Covarrubias's work, saying it aligns with the caucus's mission of representing the diversity, normative development, and inherent strengths of Latinx youth and families.
