DIRECTO

Valeria M. Rigobon is a graduate student in the developmental psychology doctoral program at FSU, with a research focus in reading and spelling performance among bilingual students (including those who may be at risk for reading difficulties, such as dyslexia). Her Master's thesis explored the word-level features (e.g., a word's shared roots between Spanish and English) and person-level features (e.g., a person's languages of proficiency, general reading ability) that contribute to a student's spelling success. Her research and studies are supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for mentees in the field of developmental research and the Florida Education Fund's McKnight Pre-Doctoral Fellowship for students of underrepresented backgrounds pursuing higher education in Florida. Outside of the lab, her position in DIRECTO allows her to reach other students, faculty, and staff on campus, as well as members of the Tallahassee community, who are interested in becoming a part of DIRECTO's network and contributing to more equitable practices of recruiting and retaining diverse students and faculty in a welcoming and inclusive environment that fosters healthy cross-disciplinary dialogue.