One of my favorite aspects of being a professor at Northern Illinois University is the association I have with my research team! Our research team is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate students in the Human Development and Family Sciences Programs at Northern Illinois University. We research about commitment in couple relationships, romantic relationship formation, marriage, and decision-making in the emerging adult (18-29 year-old) population.
Each of the students on my research team were selected based on their performance in the classroom, as well as their personal passion for helping individuals, couples, and families. I invite you to get know these wonderful researchers by reading their biographies below!
Hi! My name is Abigail Transon, but please call me Abby. I am a Junior, and I attend Northern Illinois University. My major is in Human Development and Family Sciences with an emphasis in Family Social Services and my area of study is Intervention and Prevention within the family. I am also minoring in Counseling and working towards my goal of becoming a licensed Social Worker. After completing my undergraduate degree, I will do this by attending graduate school. My overall dream career is to be working within an elementary school, as a social worker, to help children be the best students they can be. I joined the research team to further my knowledge of how and why relationships can impact children even at such young ages. Children are always forming new relationships based on what they have observed, so it is curial for me to be aware of how different their ideas of relationships are.
Hello everyone! My name is Betsy Reyes, and I am currently a sophomore at Northern Illinois University. I am majoring in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis on Family Social Services. My goal in the future is to go to graduate school and to be a social worker to help individuals and families who are in harmful situations and need help. As someone who did not have the greatest guidance on relationships and family structures, I wanted to learn more about relationships and the foundations of families. I am excited to work on the Research Team because I am getting more knowledge, help, and experience in the field I want to be in. I am also meeting others who are interested in the same field as me!
My name is Chris Shultes, I am a Junior Human Development and Family Sciences major with an emphasis in Family Social Services here at Northern Illinois University. My goal is to ultimately help families and others, I am still exploring my possibilities and my more specific goals are subject to change. Although I don't yet know where I want to end up, I look forward to strengthening my understanding of everything: families, relationships, and marriage. One way I am improving my knowledge of these topics is by joining this research team, this opportunity helps me gain an early edge in the professional field. I also look forward to applying what I am learning to my personal life. Romantic relationships have always been very important to me and I want to learn all that I can to have a healthy and successful relationship.
My name is Chris Shultes, I am a Junior Human Development and Family Sciences major with an emphasis in Family Social Services here at Northern Illinois University. My goal is to ultimately help families and others, I am still exploring my possibilities and my more specific goals are subject to change. Although I don't yet know where I want to end up, I look forward to strengthening my understanding of everything: families, relationships, and marriage. One way I am improving my knowledge of these topics is by joining this research team, this opportunity helps me gain an early edge in the professional field. I also look forward to applying what I am learning to my personal life. Romantic relationships have always been very important to me and I want to learn all that I can to have a healthy and successful relationship.
Hello! My name is KaLilah Chears, but I also go by Kiwi! I am a fourth-year and first-generation student majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences at Northern Illinois University. I have a degree emphasis in Family Social Services and a sub-emphasis in Child Welfare Services. Additionally, I am pursuing a Level 5 Gateways Family Specialist Credential. I joined this research team to explore the differences in romantic relationship development across demographic groups, specifically LGBTQ+ and religious communities. Also, I will gain experience in analyzing scholarly articles, which will be a central aspect of my social services career. I am also involved in other NIU organizations, including the Huskie Marching Band Color Guard and NIU University Choir! After graduation, I plan on attending graduate school and entering a career related to victim advocacy or community prevention.
Hello, my name is Lexi DeHart. I am a junior at Northern Illinois University majoring in family social services with a minor in addiction studies. I joined the research team to learn more about relationship dynamics and to collaborate with more people interested in the same field as I! I am also very excited to learn how to better my own personal relationships through studying other’s findings and experiences. After graduation I plan on working as a social worker and then getting my master’s to work as a therapist. While going to school, I am also navigating the ropes of military relationships since my boyfriend is an active service member.
Hello! My name is Pelin Keceli, I am a senior double majoring in Psychology and Family Social Services. The reason I joined the research team was to gain more knowledge and experience with others learning all about relationships and why they may or may not work out. After graduation, I hope to attend grad school and become a licensed marriage and family therapist. A fun fact about me is that I love cats and have two of my own!
