People of the Social Development Lab
Principle Investigator & Lab Director
Alli Cipra Ph.D.
Dr. Cipra is the director of the Social Development Lab (SDL) at Governors State University. She is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development from Indiana University.
Prior to joining the faculty at Governors State University in 2014, she served as faculty at Siena Heights University. As a systems theorist, her interests are wide-ranging and interdisciplinary. One of her main lines of research focuses on the development of resilience across the lifespan. A second theme focuses on the transition to college, particularly for underrepresented groups.
Lab Coordinator
Alyssa Voss
Alyssa has begun serving as the SDL lab coordinator in the Fall 2026 semester. She graduated magna cum laude with her bachelor's in psychology, concentrating in pre-clinical psychology, with a minor in criminal justice. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Counseling here at Governors State University in the Clinical Mental Health sequence, and has a strong interest in research.
She began working in the SDL as an undergraduate research assistant on AY 23-24. Alyssa’s research interests are focused on childhood and adolescent development and resilience, relationship dynamics, and the influence of well-being and identity on goal pursuit and development. Alyssa’s most recent project, "The Impact of Future Planning Resources on the Transition to Adulthood," was just accepted and published in the International Journal of Childhood Education. She has also gained experience through previous projects in poster and panel presenting at on-campus events and external conferences. Her current interests involve therapeutic relationships and interventions impact social and interpersonal development.
Research Assistants
Tateanna Alston
Tateanna is a psychology student at Governors State University with a growing interest in human development, resilience, and social behavior. Passionate about children, families, and neurodiversity, she is especially interested in research that bridges psychology and real-world community experiences. She believes good research starts with curiosity—and becomes meaningful when it can help people better understand one another.
Robert Walker-Jackson
Walker is a psychology major pursuing his bachelor's degree in psychology, with a minor in management. He is a Navy Veteran and was raised on the west side of Chicago. Along with being a research assistant in the lab, he is also President of Fashion Club and Treasurer of Student Senate.
Andrea Castellanos Diaz
Andrea is a transfer student in their final year of their bachelor’s in psychology at Governors State University. Their plan is to continue their education in graduate school, starting with a master’s in counseling psychology. Andrea’s research interests are in self-harm in adolescents and how social media can influence the imaginary audience in different stages of life.
Shay Pozdal
Shay is currently pursuing her degree in psychology at Governors State University. She plans to attain her Master of Social Work and wants to work in domestic violence crisis centers. Her research interests are generally in masculinity in society, impacts of trauma on children, and improved harm reduction. These research interests are deeply rooted in Shay's wanting to help victims and create better resources for not only survivors of violence, but also to prevent violence from happening in the first place. She hopes to continue participating in research in these areas beyond her college career.
Warren Rea
Warren is a senior pursuing his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in philosophy. After graduating, he plans to pursue an M.A. in mental health counseling at Governors State University. Warren is a transfer student from the Community College of the Air Force. He plans on becoming an LPC after completing his M.A.
Warren’s research interests focus primarily on White Christian Nationalism (WCN) and its impacts on social development and politics, as well as how certain personality traits correlate with WCN beliefs. He also has a strong interest in personality disorders, trauma, and substance use disorders. Warren aims to publish both his psychology research and philosophy papers. He has a background in mental health from being the Readiness NCOIC for the 182d AW Chaplain Corps, providing peer-to-peer counseling, crisis intervention, and holding suicide intervention and other mental health provider certifications.
Alania Parsons
Alaina is a Governors State alumna and current graduate student. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology with a Forensic concentration and a minor in Criminal Justice; she is currently pursuing her master's degree in clinical psychology.
Alaina is passionate about social justice, interventions with justice-involved youth, and trauma-informed care. After completing her master's degree, she intends to pursue a Ph.D. to work with at-risk and justice-involved youth in a Forensic setting. Research interests of Alaina's include epigenetics and generational trauma, adverse childhood experiences and recidivism, self-care as mental health intervention, and the reliability of memory, among others.
Lemma Mezied
Lemma Mezied is a Psychology Student at GSU working toward her bachelor's degree. She hopes to continue at GSU for her master's in social work. She plans to become a correctional counselor and a mental health worker with corrections. She is very passionate about helping individuals who have gone through or are still involved with the correctional system. Besides her interest in Psychology and helping people in corrections, she works as a Behavioral Technician at an autism care therapy clinic. Lemma states that her work and studies have taught her a lot about behaviors and herself.
Abrar Alhafnawi
Abrar is a senior in psychology at Governors State University with a concentration in social work. She is currently working on data collection focused on individuals' perceptions of god, personality, and parenthood. She has previous experience in leadership, advocacy, research, youth mentorship, and working with diverse groups to achieve shared goals. Drawing on her experience in education and mentorship, she aims to empower youth and help individuals find their strength.
Nadeen Beituni
Nadeen Beituni is a senior pursuing her bachelor's degree in psychology at GovState with a pre-clinical concentration. She joined the Social Development Lab as a research assistant in the fall of 2025. Nadeen is interested in researching factors that may influence adolescent outcomes. She plans to pursue her M.A. in marriage, couple, and family counseling. Her goal is to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and work as a couple’s counselor.
External Research Assistants and Affiliates
Jessica Beckmann
Jessica Beckmann is an external research assistant as well as working as a children’s counselor at a domestic violence agency. She has served as an undergraduate research assistant for a year and a half and as the research lab coordinator for four years prior to her current position. Jessica graduated with her Master of Arts in Counseling from Governors State University in May 2024. Currently, Jessica is working on research surrounding social-emotional learning (SEL). Jessica’s research interests are focused on gender disparities and trauma, social-emotional learning, social media, and how societal expectations may impact individual development.
David Swanson
David Swanson is a research assistant as well as a Licensed Social Worker, Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor, and Anger Management Specialist working in the southwest suburbs of Cook County. He received his bachelor's and master’s degrees in social work at Governors State University. His research interests are rooted in trauma and addiction, with a focus on children and families. He aspires to continue his research on trauma with a lens of social determinants of health and is currently applying for a doctoral program in social work for either a DSW or a Ph.D.
Ian Telschow
Ian is a transfer student in his final year of his bachelor's in psychology at GovState. He has his associate degree in early childhood education and has been working in the field with children and their families for almost ten years. Ian began participating in the SDL as a research assistant over the summer of 2025 and hopes to enter a master's program in child psychology to one day serve as a therapist for children and adolescents.
Megan Rodgers
Megan Rodgers completed her master’s degree in criminal justice in May 2024 and is currently pursuing her doctorate in interdisciplinary studies. She works at the YWCA as the Manager of Advocacy and Crisis Intervention for both sexual violence and community violence programs in South Cook County and DuPage County.
Megan serves as the Chair for the South Suburban Cook County Sexual Assault Response Team. She also serves as a member of the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force, South Suburban College’s Coordinated Community Response Team, and Governors State University's Advocating for Sexual Assault Prevention team. She has presented and completed research projects on a variety of topics including fictive kin relationships, growth vs. fixed mindset, cancer disparities in incarcerated women, domestic violence, multi-disciplinary approaches to crime, and domestic homicide. Her current research project focuses on restorative justice in the U.S. criminal justice system and presented last fall in Lake Como, Italy. She also serves as a board member for the Institutional Review Board at Prairie State College.
Contact the Social Development Lab
- Dr. Alli Cipra
- acipra@govst.edu