CSTL Student Perspectives

Danyi Chen

I earned my B.S. at Vanderbilt University, and am currently a PhD student at the CSTL division of Educational Psychology. My research largely focuses on second language acquisition and bilingual language processing, especially code-switching. I am the lab manager of the EdPsych Psycholinguistics Lab, where we use eye-tracking to investigate the cognitive processes of reading and language comprehension in general.

In my free time, I like to read, cook, and play video games.

Destiny Williams-Dobosz

I joined the Educational Psychology program’s Cognitive Science of Teaching and Learning (CSTL) division in the Fall of  2019. I received my BA in chemistry at Mount Holyoke College and my MS in educational psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a scholar in educational psychology and STEM education, my research focuses on the psychological and contextual factors that impact STEM students’ success and learning. My primary research area investigates how, why, and under what conditions diverse groups of students seek academic help in online and in-person STEM courses. I aim to conduct research that addresses educational concerns such as the broadening participation of minoritized students in STEM, retention, and equity in postsecondary education. My scholarship has been recognized with various university awards and external funding through the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

I enjoy spending time with my family, going on long walks, reading, and baking in my free time.

• Email: destiny7@illinois.edu