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On the effect she hopes to have on students and CSUN...

I hope that I can look back and see people taking more strength-based approaches instead of perceptions of risk with communities of color. I hope that here at CSUN, I've made some students have their "A HA" moment outside the classroom, because that means I've done my job and made it stick.

On the most exciting trends in her field, and why we should care...

I am really excited that researchers are starting to think about the role of contexts, such as neighborhoods and its relation to schools and families, when doing research in families of color. The U.S. is becoming a country where the ethnic minorities are becoming the majority population. Understanding what helps those youth succeed at home and at school, as well as how we as a society can help them succeed, is vital for our success as a society.

"If the work we are passionate about helps change just one person’s life, I am all for that."

On what drives or compels her to keep pushing the boundaries...

I started working in research labs when I was in my undergraduate program and I was hooked. I loved every part of doing research, from coming up with the question, thinking about my population, to analyzing the data and finally being able to disseminate those findings. I realized that research was really important when you have specific scientific questions, such as, “What are some factors that predict academic achievement in African Americans?” I also learned about how important it is to engage the community – both scholarly and locally. The insights provided out in the field are so valuable when you're thinking about how do we do "THIS" better. What drove me to conduct my own research, is that it can change the ways in which policies are thought of and made. So, if the work we are passionate about helps change just one person's life, I am all for that.

On what it means to be at CSUN...

CSUN has provided me an opportunity to be engaged with a diverse body of individuals, whether it be the students in my class, the research assistants who I get to work with on a daily basis, or the faculty in my department and other departments around the area. I learn every day from each of those individuals how to be a better instructor, mentor, researcher and individual. I think CSUN has provided me a chance to get to know my students on a deeper level, and I thrive on that.

More information about Meeta Banerjee