Dr. Gabriela Livas Stein, head of UNCG’s Psychology Department and director of the CAMINOS Lab, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Dean’s Award for the Promotion of Diversity and Inclusiveness.
This award is presented annually to an individual, group of individuals, or department in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) that exemplifies a commitment to enhancing diversity in education.
“Dr. Stein has contributed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at every level — within her research, her department, the college, and university, but also locally and nationally,” said Dr. John Z. Kiss, dean of CAS. “I am honored to present this year’s award to Dr. Stein as she is a visionary leader of diversity and inclusion on campus and beyond.”
As director of the CAMINOS Lab, Stein’s research focuses on increasing mental health treatment access for Latinx families and youth, among other related topics. Within the Psychology Department, she chairs the Next Generation Research Scholar and Mentor Program (NextGen), helping scholars from underrepresented groups find academic mentorship and support.
Stein has also served as chair of the CAS Diversity Committee, as co-director of UNCG’s Child and Family Research Network, and as the faculty representative on the board of Alianza – UNCG’s Latino Association for students, staff, and faculty.
At the state level, Stein provides multiple trainings each year to mental health providers around North Carolina in the delivery of services to the Latinx community. And nationally, she served as chair of the Latinx Caucus of the Society for Research on Child Development.
In recognition of these efforts and more, Stein was presented with the Dean’s Diversity Award on Monday, September 12 in a reception at UNCG’s Alumni House. There, she also shared best practices for engaging in diversity and equity work while supporting student success and engagement.
Many individuals at UNCG and beyond supported Stein’s nomination for the award. Yet perhaps the most impactful support came from one of her own students and mentees:
“Often, underrepresented students tend to feel excluded from higher education or feel as if they don’t belong,” said Eirian Avila, a psychology major and undergraduate researcher in the CAMINOS Lab. “The support and sense of family Dr. Stein has built at the CAMINOS lab is incredible and actively helps students from underrepresented backgrounds feel seen and heard.”
“We are all a family,” Avila continued, “supporting and helping one another reach our goals because we now know the importance of our presence in higher education and the mental health field as bilingual and people of color.”
Story by Elizabeth Keri, College of Arts & Sciences
Photography by David Row, University Communications
