Apply: Research Assistant for Study on Effects of Cultural Stress on Latinx Youth and Families 

Project JUNTOS (TOGETHER) is a lab in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Research in this lab focuses on the well-being of Latinx/Hispanic youth and their families. The lab currently has two projects: The Freshman Survey Project and JUNTOS Familia.

The primary aim of the Freshman Survey Project is to survey first-year Latinx/Hispanic students at UT as a means to gather data that can inform programs to support their college transition and experience.

JUNTOS Familia is a study that recruits Latinx/Hispanic high school students and parents of Latinx/Hispanic high school students to participate in focus groups. The project uses traditional social science methodologies of interview (qualitative) and self-report measures, and also incorporates community-based data collection techniques. The goal of JUNTOS Familia is to develop a preventive intervention program for Latinx families. As a lab, we are also currently designing methods that will be used in an intervention program with Latinx/Hispanic high school students and their parents that will teach them effective coping strategies for managing experiences with prejudice, discrimination and racism, as well as teaching them how to recognize when they are stressed.

We also will be starting a new program in the lab called JUMP: JUNTOS Undergraduate Mentorship Program. This program will serve recently immigrated Latinx/hispanic high schoolers in Austin, where undergraduates will pair up with a teen to help them practice English, learn about college and higher education opportunities, offer mentorship with employment and finances (taxes, financial aid, etc), and general guidance. We are looking for outgoing, eager, and passionate undergraduates to join JUMP for the Fall 2023 semester and onward! If that is you, we welcome you to apply to be an RA and indicate specific interest for the program in our interest form.

Across all studies, Research Assistant position responsibilities include: RA tasks will differ each semester, but can include preparing for and participating in data collection, data entry, data cleaning, data checking, assisting with literature searches/reviews, assisting with administrative tasks as needed, contacting and recruiting participants, community outreach, transcribing and coding qualitative focus group/interview data, graphic design that conveys research findings (Infographics), presenting research findings to the Austin community, assisting in the creation and modification of research proposals for application to the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and participating in research group meetings.

Fill out the following survey for more information and we will reach out for next steps https://forms.gle/Xpems1opYjauKQK19  

For questions, email our project coordinator, Isabella Hernandez, bobbi.hernandez@utexas.edu 

Spanish language fluency is desirable but not required. RAs are required to work 10 hours/week in the lab for at least 2 semesters.