Our Team

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Arredondo is the director of the ChiLDS lab, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development & Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Arredondo completed her Bachelor’s of Psychology at the University of Houston, and her Master’s and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan. While at Michigan, she was trained on the successful use of fNIRS technology with children. After earning her Ph.D., she completed her postdoctoral work at the Infant Studies Centre at the University of British Columbia, before transitioning to Haskins Laboratories at Yale University.

Dr. Arredondo’s research focuses on language processing and brain development in infants and young children. She is especially interested in:

• Why some children seem to learn new words very easily while others seem to struggle,
• and which cognitive mechanisms and brain networks support successful language learning.

Dr. Arredondo’s favorite memory as a child is taking an afternoon nap while lying on the front yard of her family’s house back in Argentina.

Stephanie is a fourth-year PhD student in the Human Development and Family Sciences program at the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her bachelor’s in Psychology and Child Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). Stephanie’s research interests lie in bilingualism, language learning and acquisition, culture, and academic success with a focus on Latinx children. In her free time, Stephanie likes to discover new music, play Stardew Valley, and spend time with friends and family.

Stephanie’s favorite childhood memory is going to the flea market with her family on the weekends.

Virginia is a research associate at the ChiLDS Lab and currently works full-time in the Department of Women’s Health at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. They received their Bachelor’s of Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, and they received their Master’s in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas. Virginia’s favorite childhood memory is exploring bamboo forests and snacking on wax apples in Taiwan.

Sophia Guerrero is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently completing a B.S. in Honors in Advanced Human Development and Family Sciences with a certificate in Spanish for Medical Professionals. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school to become a physician.

Sophia’s favorite childhood memory is traveling to Mexico during school breaks to see her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Vega is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a certificate in Spanish for Mental Health Professions. After her undergraduate studies, Vega plans to attend graduate school to become a clinical psychologist.

Vega’s favorite childhood memory is playing pretend and dressing up with her two sisters.

Isaac is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Psychology under the Plan II Honors program on the pre-med track. He is bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese and is currently working on becoming trilingual by learning Spanish.

Isaac’s favorite childhood memory is …

Elisa is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently completing a B.S.A in Neuroscience while pursuing her teacher certification in composite science. After graduation, she plans to teach for a few years before attending medical school to become a pediatric neurologist.

One of her favorite childhood memories is having sleepovers with her cousins and spending time at her grandma’s house in Mexico! 

Nate is a fourth-year student at St. Edward’s University. He is studying Psychology and minoring in Spanish. His current career plans are to continue in academia and conduct research while being a professor in Psychology.  His main interest is to play music, which is currently the bass guitar, but he also spends leisure time with friends, loved ones, and my dog.  

Nate’s favorite childhood memory is running around barefoot with his cousins on his Grandma’s gravel driveway during late summer evenings.

Dayanara is currently a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. Her major at the moment is Psychology of Arts and she’s minoring in Business. After she graduates, she wants to go to graduate school to further her studies in Psychology.

Her favorite childhood memory was catching ducks at the park in her old neighborhood.

Natalia is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Arts with a certificate in Spanish for Health Professions. She plans to attend medical school after graduation with the goal of becoming a pediatrician.

One of her favorite childhood memories is visiting her grandpa’s ranch in Colombia, where she loved helping him gather chicken eggs and drinking her grandma’s fresh mandarin juice.

Naomi is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. After graduating from UT, she plans to attend graduate school to become a Speech-Language Pathologist and support children in bilingual communities who experience communication difficulties.  

Her favorite childhood memory is going on roadtrips with her family!

Luis is a second-year student at UT Austin, majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences on the pre-medicine track. He is interested in how language and culture intersect and how they impact development and upbringing in early adolescence.

His favorite childhood memory is cheering for his Dad in the Austin Marathon and having homemade Barbacoa made by his Abuela!

Rin is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Development and Family Sciences on the Pre-Pharmacy track, with an interest in psychology. After completing her undergraduate studies, Rin plans to attend pharmacy school with the goal of becoming a pediatric pharmacist.

One of her favorite childhood memories is climbing Mt. Fuji with her family and playing at the local playground with her friends.