Lab Members – Relationships Across Development Lab

Principal Investigator

Holly Recchia (She/Her/Elle; Hear my name)

Holly obtained her PhD in Psychology at Concordia University. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Utah, she is now a Professor in the Department of Education (Early Childhood and Elementary Education/Child Studies). Holly loves dancing with her kids, curling up with a good book, and long dinners with friends. Holly parle aussi couramment le français y un poquito de español.

Doctoral Students

Christine Kinsley

Christine graduated from California State University, Stanislaus in 2017 with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Developmental Concentration. She completed her MA at Concordia University with Dr. Holly Recchia and is now pursuing her PhD in Education. Her research focuses on sibling relationships and how their relationship quality is displayed in their daily interactions. Christine greatly enjoys spending time with her family (she is very close to her siblings!), baking (and sharing the end results), and playing with her black lab mix Ruby.

Jody Daley (She/Her/Elle)
Jody is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in Child Studies under the supervision of Dr. Holly Recchia. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from McGill University, and an undergraduate degree in Education with a double major in English Literature and World History from Western University in Ontario. She has served as a Research Assistant in the Social Justice and Diversity Research Labs under the supervision of Dr. Ada L. Sinacore. She has also conducted fieldwork on reading intervention programs with Dr. Robert Savage and collaborated on Youth-Led Participatory Action Research with Dr. Jessica Ruglis. She has worked as an Equity and Inclusion Coordinator for the Thames Valley School Board in London, Ontario. Additionally, she has served as an educator for the English Montreal School Board at the Centre for Child Development and Mental Health, Jewish General Hospital, the Donald Berman Yaldei Developmental Centre, the Quebec Board of Black Educators, and the Learning Disability Association of the London Region in Ontario. Her research interests center on educational equity, particularly how Black girls experience joy while navigating the intersections of race, gender, and mental health. She is also interested in social justice theory and pedagogy, systemic inequities, educational policy reform, and Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YLPAR). In her spare time, Jody enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with friends and family.

Niloofar Saeedi (She/Her; Hear my name)

Niloofar is currently pursuing her PhD in Education at Concordia University. She holds an M.Sc. in Cognitive Science from Shahid Beheshti University, where her work focused on adolescents’ social behaviour and decision-making in social contexts. Her research interests broadly center on adolescents’ social and moral development, particularly how they understand and respond to others in challenging interpersonal situations. Her current research focuses on a potential mismatch in peer support following adolescent peer harm, exploring how bystanders’ perceptions of helpful support may differ from what victims actually need and find helpful. Outside of research, Niloofar enjoys listening to audiobooks, making and editing videos, and cutting and styling hair.

Master’s Students

Adler Dickie (He/Him)

Born and raised in Minnesota, US, he earned his bachelor’s of science in Youth Studies with a minor in Social Justice from the University of Minnesota, as well as an associate’s degree in liberal education from Normandale Community College. He has an extensive history working with afterschool and summer youth programs across Minneapolis and neighboring areas. His background has brought him to a point where he wants to explore his interests in structural and systemic issues in schools, power sharing, and ways to better empower and platform youth within our schools. He enjoys music, biking, gaming, and quality time with his loved ones.

Anjali Sharma (She/her)

Anjali completed her BA (Honours) in Psychology at McGill University and is now pursuing her MA in Child Studies at Concordia University. She is broadly interested in peer-conflict within schools as well as the experiences of minoritized youth. Anjali enjoys book clubs and playing guitar outside of her studies.

Hiba Rakad Faysal (She/Her/Hers; Hear my name)

Hiba is currently pursuing her M.A. in Child Studies at Concordia University. She earned her Bachelor of Human Biology with an honours degree in Egypt in 2003. After moving to Canada, she was awarded the Governor General’s Academic Medal in 2018. She then completed a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood and Elementary Education with distinction at Concordia University in 2024. Hiba is particularly interested in identifying the underlying reasons hindering equitable environments for minorities in schools and communities. Hiba enjoys family gatherings with her husband and children, travelling, and photography.

Miriam Marcoux (She/Her/Elle)

Miriam graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 2020 with a BA (Honours) in Psychology and a Minor in English. She worked for five years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Personnel Selection Officer and released in 2025 at the rank of Captain. She is now pursuing her MA in Child Studies and is interested in investigating the unique realities of military families in Canada, specifically the impacts on young children, their development, and their familial relationships. In her free time, Miriam enjoys sewing, reading detective novels, and spending time with her fiancé and their two cats.

Monica Jaramillo (She/Her/Hers)

Monica is currently pursuing her M.A. in Child Studies at Concordia University. With a background in Psychology and Education, her academic journey focuses on understanding and addressing the needs of children in a state of vulnerability. She has worked with the national foster care system in Colombia and in Montréal, with the EMSB, applying special education techniques. Outside of her studies, Monica enjoys watching movies, discovering new cuisines, talking to friends over coffee, taking long walks, cycling and spending quality time with her family and her sweet, wonderful dog: “Canela”.

Natalia Vallejo (She/her)

Natalia is a Colombian master’s student in Child Studies at Concordia. She holds a double degree in journalism and philosophy from the University of Navarra in Spain. Her interests include media literacy, storytelling, and how young people engage with information, political identity, and moral development. Outside of her academic work, she enjoys dancing, live music, and spending time with animals.

Nomi Rubin (She/Her/Hers)

Nomi is currently pursuing an M.A. in Child Studies at Concordia University. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (double minors in education and behavioural science) at McGill University. Her research interest focuses on the parent-child relationship and how relationship quality can impact children’s development/well-being and future interactions. Outside of research, Nomi loves going to Florida as she has a lot of family there and watching hockey and football in her downtime.

Sandra Silva Latorre (She/Her/Elle)

Sandra is currently pursuing an M.A. in Child Studies. She obtained a B.A. in Psychology (Specialization) from Concordia University, where she completed her undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Recchia, examining Colombian youths’ evaluations of justice and support for the 2016 Peace Accord. She is broadly interested in investigating how children’s moral reasoning develops in multilingual and multicultural environments. Her research interests also include restorative justice. Sandra enjoys long-distance running, travelling, eating Peruvian food and spending time with her family.

Undergraduate Thesis Student

Siobhan McDonald (She/Her/Elle; Hear my name)
Siobhan is finishing the final year of her B.A. with a double major in Child Studies and Psychology (Honours) at Concordia University, where she is completing her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Recchia. She also holds a B.A. in Economics from Concordia, which gave her the statistical programming skills she applies to her current studies. Her decision to pursue a second degree came from a lifelong interest in psychology and children, particularly in how environments and experiences shape developmental trajectories across neurotypes. Outside of school, Siobhan enjoys travelling, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Research Coordinator

Laura Pareja Conto (She/Her/Elle; Hear my name)
Laura completed her M.A. in Child Studies and Honours Degree (BA) in Psychology at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr. Recchia. Her research explored youths’ sociomoral development, particularly in relation to their experiences of violence and injustice. Laura enjoys reading, hiking, Brazilian music, and spending time with her loved ones.