Akira Gutierrez Renzulli

Akira Gutiérrez Renzulli, M.S., M.A., (she/her) is a Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology in the ASCP Program at FIU. Akira is a McKnight Doctoral Fellow and member of the NAFASI Lab, under the mentorship of Dr. Stacy Frazier. Akira’s research interests include learning about youth’s experiences with sense of belonging, resilience, adversity, and how to build positive learning environments. Akira’s work is informed by her collaborations with districts, schools, and educators across the U.S. to support their implementation efforts around social-emotional, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed practices to benefit students, educators, and families. She holds master’s degrees in developmental and child clinical psychology and is trained in advanced quantitative and qualitative methods. Akira’s goal is to apply her training in understanding and assessing social settings, systems, and policies to collaborate with communities in creating healthy and supportive environments that promote mental and emotional wellbeing for youth from different backgrounds, identities, and abilities.