The RAICES Lab (Resilience, Adolescents, Identity, Culture, Education, Socialization) studies how cultural and socialization processes shape youth development. Our work focuses on how parents, families, and other key figures support young people’s resilience, identity, and well-being amid stressful life experiences and everyday challenges. By centering the voices and experiences of youth and families, we aim to build knowledge that highlights strengths, informs culturally responsive practices, and supports thriving across diverse communities.

What We Study

Our research examines the cultural processes that shape how young people understand themselves, their families, and their place in the world. These include ethnic-racial socialization (the messages and practices families use to teach about heritage, identity, and bias), as well as cultural values and traditions such as familismo, respeto, and communalism, along with family storytelling, kinship networks, and community connections. We are especially interested in how these processes operate across generations, where parents, grandparents, and extended family each contribute to youth development.

We pay particular attention to the experiences of Black and Latinx youth and families. Across our projects, we ask questions such as:

• How do cultural values and family messages work together, or differ, across generations in shaping youth identity and well-being?
• How do experiences of discrimination and other stressors affect adolescents and emerging adults, including their mental health?
• Which family and cultural strengths protect young people, and for whom do they matter most?
• How do these processes look different across communities, contexts, and life stages?
  

Our Approach

We view families and communities as sources of strength, not just risk. Our work uses a range of methods, including surveys, in-depth interviews, and systematic reviews of the research literature, so that we can capture both broad patterns and the lived experiences behind them. We draw on developmental, cultural, and critical frameworks to make sure our questions, measures, and interpretations reflect the realities of the families we work with.

We also care about who benefits from research. We aim to share our findings with scholars, practitioners, educators, and families in accessible, useful ways, and to inform culturally responsive programs and practices.