Member Spotlight: Esther J. Calzada, Ph.D.
Norma & Clay Leben Professor in Child and Family Behavioral Health at The University of Texas at Austin; Member of the SRCD Latinx Caucus.
What advice would you give to a Graduate student beginning their Ph.D. studies in Developmental Science or related?
My advice to grad students is to find a community of scholars with shared values to support you on this path and expect the path to twist and turn. But it's the twists and turns that lead to the most exciting projects!
What is something you learned in the last month outside of your field?
I recently read The Warmth of Other Suns (by Isabel Wilkerson) and learned the history of the Great Migration. There were so many parallels to the present-day issues facing Latinx immigrant families that it sharpened my historical perspective on the research I do.
What are some of your hobbies?
I love to travel. I'm happiest when I'm planning my next big trip!
What publication or book would you say is a must read in the field (and why)?
Every social scientist should read White Logic, White Methods: Racism and Methodology (Zuberi & Bonilla-Silva, Eds.) because it challenges the ways in which we typically create scholarship and legitimizes antiracist and decolonized approaches to knowing.
How do you relax when you are not teaching or conducting research?
I work out, read fiction and binge watch too much bad TV.