Kamille Ciara (KC) De la rosa is a third-year student pursuing a degree in psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Science (HDFS). De la rosa first discovered her passion for psychology in high school and hopes to take her passions through graduate school.
“I took AP Psychology in high school and my teacher, Mrs. Roberts, is who inspired me,” De la rosa said, “It helped me discover my calling for working with families and my future career in behavior analysis.”
De la rosa is a part of multiple research projects on campus and originally got involved with research through the McNair Scholars Program.
KC De La Rosa's McNair cohort, coached by Jarell Green and Heather Williams. McNair Scholars is a program under the First-Generation Student Center that offers research experience, mentorship and support helping students prepare for graduate school.
"As a first-generation student, McNair has helped me navigate opportunities that I didn’t know existed," she said. "I’ve gained valuable research experience, learned how to prepare for graduate school, and connected with mentors who have encouraged me to pursue new opportunities."
De la rosa is currently involved in four research projects.
The first project is with Bethany Contreras, Ph.D., an assistant professor with the Department of Psychology, and is titled "Navigating Cultural Contexts and Language Access in Adolescent Autism Interventions: Insights on Diverse Caregiver Perspective." For this project, De la rosa hopes to strengthen how service providers communicate with multi-lingual caregivers when understanding their child's needs.
The other three projects are ongoing with the HDFS program. De la rosa is working with Associate Professors Jennifer Mortensen, and Samuel Ehrenreich.
An infant simulator named Ruth.These projects all use Infant Simulators or "baby bots." Baby bots are studied for De la rosa and mentors to understand the varying ways of parental/caregiver responses.
"I didn't know anything about research; I stepped into a lot of this blindly," De la rosa said. "But, finding connections– reaching out blindly to a lot of professors – will help you learn a lot."
In addition to her multiple research projects on campus, De la rosa is involved in a series of other programs on and off campus.
"I am very involved in the First-Generation Student Center (FGSC) serving as the social media manager," she said. "I think that it is a very helpful program in getting students involved in finding community, whether it be in intramural sports, volunteering or just being in the FGSC lounge."
De la rosa also works as an undergraduate teaching assistant for Christopher Blair, Ph.D., a teaching assistant professor for the Department of Psychology.
"KC is a great teaching assistant,” Blair said. “She is very communicative and reliable in all aspects."
Additionally, De la rosa Works as a student intern for the University Center of Autism (UCAN) and Neurodevelopment and has been doing so since her first year at the University.
"Working at UCAN has allowed me to see the impact of autism diagnostic services from behind the scenes," De la rosa said. "I’ve had the opportunity to witness how evaluations impact the lives of diverse communities."
KC De la Rosa presenting at the SSAEOPP McNair Conference.Furthermore, De la rosa serves as a program delegate to represent the University's Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), a nationally accredited program.
"This leadership opportunity allows me to actively engage with the wider ABAI student community, while strengthening the connection between the behavior analysis program and ABAI."
De la rosa is looking to apply to both master's and Ph.D. programs in fall 2027.
"There are only 11 schools with accredited behavior analysis programs; UNR happens to be one of them," she said. "I am comfortable with Nevada, but I've also always wanted to go out of state. It really all just depends on where I get accepted."
As she considers her next steps, De la rosa encourages other undergraduates to seek the connections that helped her find her footing in research.
"If you are an undergrad who does not know what research is or how to get involved, just be open to reaching out, step out of that comfort zone," she said. "College can feel overwhelming, but I’ve learned building connections and asking for help can make all the difference. Whether it’s professors, advisors or undergraduate TAs, there are people who want to help you on your journey of success."
