Jada Childs

Jada Childs is a doctoral candidate and graduate instructor in the Developmental Psychology program at the University of Michigan. Her research centers around Black emerging adults' health and academic experiences. Her focuses include imposter phenomenon, racial socialization, neighborhood trauma, socioeconomic status, and academic motivation. Jada's work aims to discover the ways that intersectional identity mechanisms (race, class, gender) and experiences of trauma converge to impact Black students' mental health and sense of belonging in academic spaces. She takes a trauma-informed and healing-centered approach to investigate ways to mitigate the unique challenges faced by Black students. Jada believes in promoting holistic approaches to pedagogy that focus on cultivating an environment of safety, wellness, and academic success by focusing on social support, structural change, and racial socialization and identity development.  

Jada has worked as a Youth Pathways Fellow for the Office of Metropolitan Impact and served as a volunteer for the Black Child Development Institute of Detroit, promoting literacy and academic engagement in Detroit youth. 

Courses taught include Psychology 111 "Introduction to Psychology" and Psychology 250 "Developmental Psychology".