Through her research, Dr. Christy Teranishi Martinez has found that we develop our identities over time and across contexts of family, school, peers, work and neighborhoods. Her teaching and research interests led her along her educational and career path to earn her M.A. in Communications at San Diego State University, and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at University of California, Santa Cruz. She emphasizes the importance of experiential learning and has taught international study abroad courses in Guanajuato, México and the Sacred Valley, Peru. She is strongly committed to broadening students’ horizons so they have a heightened understanding of the importance of multiculturalism and diversity in our society. She promotes the teacher-scholar model, and integrates her research interests focusing on Positive Psychology, Flow and intimate partner violence into the courses she teaches. She balances her family, work, and healthy lifestyle with the love and support of her husband, Daniel, and by running on the beach with her dog, Goldilocks.
Latino/a identity development, Flow, experiential learning, interpersonal relationships, intimate partner violence
