Julissa is a third year PhD student in the School Psychology program at UC Berkeley. She was born and raised in Southern California to two hard-working immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador. Julissa, a first generation college student, completed her undergraduate studies at UC Irvine and graduated with honors with a BA in Psychology and Education Sciences.
Her graduate research currently focuses on examining the relationship between teacher expectations, teacher practices, and students’ academic achievement. She is also interested in exploring how school and classroom climate, the student-teacher relationship, and student feedback to teachers influence student academic and mental health outcomes.
In her free time, Julissa enjoys drawing (traditionally and digitally), playing video games, hiking, and trying new food spots with friends. She also volunteers as a Crisis Care Coach for Help Online and is an active member at VIVE Oakland.
Specializations and Interests
Teacher Expectations, Teacher Practices, School and Classroom Climate, Student-Teacher Relationships
