Kamille De la Rosa Advances Behavior Analysis Research as McNair Scholar

Kamille De la Rosa Advances Behavior Analysis Research as McNair Scholar

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KC De la Rosa Advances Psychology Research and Supports First-Gen Students at UNR

Kamille Ciara De la Rosa is a third-year student pursuing a degree in psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. De la Rosa first discovered her passion for psychology in high school, inspired by her AP Psychology teacher, Mrs. Roberts. That classroom experience set her on a direct path toward behavior analysis and working with families.

“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.”

Building a Research Portfolio Through the McNair Scholars Program

De la Rosa got her start in campus research through the McNair Scholars Program, a program under the First-Generation Student Center that offers mentorship, research experience, and graduate school preparation. Her McNair cohort is coached by Jarell Green and Heather Williams. Today, De la Rosa is involved in four distinct research projects across campus.

“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.”

Department of psychology

Her first research project is titled “Navigating Cultural Contexts and Language Access in Adolescent Autism Interventions: Insights on Diverse Caregiver Perspective,” conducted alongside Bethany Contreras, Ph.D., an assistant professor with the Department of Psychology. Through this work, De la Rosa aims to strengthen how service providers communicate with multi-lingual caregivers when understanding their child’s needs.

Infant Simulators and Parental Response Studies

The other three projects are ongoing with the HDFS program, where De la Rosa works with Associate Professors Jennifer Mortensen and Samuel Ehrenreich. These investigations utilize infant simulators, or “baby bots,” 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 noted. “But, finding connections—reaching out blindly to a lot of professors—will help you learn a lot.”

Leadership, Campus Roles, and Future Plans

Beyond her research obligations, De la Rosa serves as the social media manager for the First-Generation Student Center, works as an undergraduate teaching assistant for Christopher Blair, Ph.D., a teaching assistant professor for the Department of Psychology, and works as a student intern for the University Center of Autism (UCAN) and Neurodevelopment.

“KC is a great teaching assistant,” Blair said. “She is very communicative and reliable in all aspects.”

De la Rosa also serves as a program delegate to represent the University’s Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). She plans to apply to 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.”

Worth a look

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