
At I-LABS, Onnie Rogers studies identity development among urban youth. Now she takes on a new role at UW as a research assistant professor in the College of Education.
In a new faculty profile by the College of Education, Rogers talks about how she became interested in education, calling it a “key mechanism for facilitating social change.”
Rogers, who has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from New York University, has been a postdoctoral researcher working with Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of I-LABS.
In addition to her new faculty appointment with the College of Education, Rogers will continue her research at I-LABS, investigating how society influences self-perceptions.
She talked about the meaning she finds in her research in the College’s profile of her:
“My research is meaningful to me because I know what it feels like to be seen as an “exception” — to feel as though my achievements are more surprising because of my background or the color of my skin. My research is meaningful because I hear the stories of children and adolescents who are discriminated against and feel boxed in by stereotypes about who and what they should be. I believe my research is important for others because we all have a stake in deconstructing stereotypes and cultivating healthy identities among youth. It is important because we each need to know the ways we perpetuate stereotypes and how we can combat them. It is important because youth need spaces where they have the support to cultivate healthy identities.”
Read the full profile on the College of Education’s website.