Keynote Speaker

Melody Ezpeleta, DMFT, LMFT-A

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Walla Walla University, School of Education and Psychology

 

Bio: Dr. Ezpeleta completed both an M.S. in Marital and Family Therapy (2018) and Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy (DMFT) degree (2022) at Loma Linda University. She is a proud alumna of Walla Walla University where she earned a B.S. in Psychology in 2015. Dr. Ezpeleta’s personal and professional experiences within various school systems instilled a passion to contribute to the field of marriage and family therapy and a desire to give back to the community through active collaboration with others. In May 2021, she presented at the ARC/AHSRA conference to introduce her project. She later accepted a faculty position as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Walla Walla University which began Fall 2021 while completing her doctoral degree during her first year as a faculty member. As a result of her doctoral project research, Dr. Ezpeleta was the recipient of the 2022 Research Excellence Award from the School of Behavioral Health at Loma Linda University. Dr. Ezpeleta is currently a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate (LMFT-A) in the State of Washington, with a focus on advocating for children, adolescents, and their families. She is also an Approved Supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

 

Lecture title: It's Time for a Change: An Invitation to Collaborate on the Assessment of Mental Health Needs in SDA Academies

Presentations

Session 1a (WEC 225)

Moderator: CJ Brothers
Theme: Health Experiences

Speakers and titles:

Yedith Rodriguez - College Students Knowledge of Women’s Health and Social media Use as a Source of Health Information
Juliet Quave - The Role of Attributions in Patient and Staff Experience
Audrey Gonzalez - PCOS Risk Factors and PCOS’s Association with Endometrial and Ovarian Cancers

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Session 1b (WEC 226)

Moderator: Linda Crumley
Theme: Communicating Under Pressure

Speakers and titles:

Ashley Olson and Stacy Wisener - A Dramatistic Study on Crisis Communication Materials
Emmalyn Logan - Perceptions of German Americans in the American Press during World War I
Hanah Lee - Exploring the Factors of Special Education Teacher Burnout

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Session 2a (WEC 225)

Moderator: Linda Ivy
Theme: Student Experiences

Speakers and titles:

Luz Arango Zea - An Autoethnographic Journal of a Peruvian International Student
Stella Ga - Sleep, Study, Socialize: Pick 2 - Stories of Stress in College Students
Samuel Hoffmann, Sophia Oliinik, and Bowyn Maddocks - The Atlas App 

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Session 2b (WEC 226)

Moderator: Greg Dodds
Theme: Constructing Reality

Speakers and titles:

Claire Bussell - The Use of the Term Martyr in California Newspapers during the Armenian Genocide
Colton Herber - Orthopedic Advances beyond Traditional Off-the-Shelf Implants: Moving toward Customizable 3-Dimensional Metallic and Hydrogel Based Implants
Caidyn Boyd - “The Question of Palestine” and Recognition of Palestinian Statehood within UN Resolutions

Posters

Michael Austin, Raven Chester, Hunter Kimes, Aaron Martinez, Benjamin Wachter - WWU Budget Application

Isabel Barahona, Abigail Martinez-Perez, Abigail Reyna - The EverFlex and Renewal Projects

Zach Blood, Wren Dawson, Garrett Ellis - Are Clams Picky Eaters? Growth and Filtration Rates of Purple Varnish Clams Consuming Toxic and Nontoxic Diatoms

Anna Caraveo - Grail Compiler: Python to Smalltalk

Alexandra Christ - Correlations Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Anxiety in College Aged Students

Russell Gabrys - Symmetry in the Hanging Chain Problem

Grace Gonzales - The Correlation Between Anxiety and Gratitude

Dilraj Kaur - Advisor Survey Website

Nina Khani - How Social Media Use Affects Self-Esteem and Fuels Fear of Missing Out

Jaden Melashenko - One More Scroll: The Correlation Between Sleep Procrastination and Cell Phone Usage

Kiley Mellott - The Relationship Between Sleep and Stress in College Students: Implications for Mental Health

2024

Session 1a (WEC 225)

Moderator: Dr. Benjamin Jackson
Theme: Trauma and Healing

Speakers and titles:

Molly Ahola - A Model of ECM-Mediated Wound Angiogenesis
Claire Haffner - Religious Trauma and Adventism: Experiences of Religion as a Source of Pain and Harm for SDA-Raised Young Adults
Joshua Price - Trauma in a Just World: Exploring the Relationship Between Traumatic Experiences at Different Ages and Belief in a Just World

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Session 1b (WEC 226)

Moderator: Dr. Monique Roddy
Theme: Big Personalities

Speakers and titles:

Tonia Jeffery - Mary Edwards Walker: “a thing that nothing but the debased and depraved Yankee could produce”
Joanna Lasher - Choose your Character: An Examination of The Relationship Between Personality and Video Game Genre Preferences
Lauren Vizcarra and Caeden Rogers - Investigation into First-Date Expectation and their Effects on First-Date Enjoyment

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Session 2a (WEC 225)

Moderator: Dr. Linda Crumley
Theme: Change in Context

Speakers and titles:

Ashly Barrosso Garcia - Service Learning through the Business world.
Elijah Haynal - A Cable Equation LACE Model for Octopus Rubescen
Lorelei Harbour and Megan Carreon - The “Why” Behind Early Marriages Within Religious Contexts

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Session 2b (WEC 226)

Moderator: Dr. Hilary Dickerson
Theme: Struggle and Resilience

Speakers and titles:

Ashley Garner - Relationship Between ADHD Subtypes and Self-esteem
Aine Schmidt Weiss - Windshield Survey: Analysis of Nursing Needs in the Community of Bagley Downs
Lydia Thiel - African American in Maxville: Life and Oppression in a 1920s-30s Oregon Logging Town