Meet The Research Team

Back Row Left to Right: Emily Switzer, Rhea Bough,  Adriana Jenkins, Lexi DeHart, Jose Brito - Front Row Left to Right: Olivia Paluzzi, Brooklynn Garcia, Serenity Baskins, and Blasita Ochoa Garcia - Not pictured: Justice Liboy

Hi! My name is Adriana Jenkins and I am a junior at Northern Illinois University. I am majoring in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in Family Social Services and minoring in Art. After I graduate, I am going to pursue a Master's Degree in Social Work and become an elementary school social worker. I joined the research team to expand my knowledge about relationships and commitment as well as share my own life experience and expertise. Outside of school, I enjoy spending my time with friends and family, reading, or doing arts and crafts.

Hello everyone! My name is Blasita Ochoa Garcia, I am a junior attending Northern Illinois University. I am majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences, with an emphasis in Child Development and a sub-emphasis in Child Life Specialty. My minors are in Spanish and rehabilitation counseling, hoping to reach out my services to a wider audience. After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in child life specialty by seeking a clinical internship and studying for child life certification. I joined the research team because I believe everyone deserves to have a committed relationship, but sometimes we don’t have the resources to learn. Aside from school, I have a deep interest in literature, ranging from analyzing classic text to reading comic books in my downtime.

Hello, my name is Brooklynn Garcia and I am a senior at Northern Illinois University. I am majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences with an emphasis in Family Social Services. This is my first semester researching and I am excited to be a part of this amazing group. I joined this research team because I wanted to dive deeper into learning about relationships and the importance of commitment. I am also interested in analyzing and understand new topics so that it can be shared with other individuals who can benefit from it. After I graduate in the spring semester of 2027, I am hoping to attend graduate school for Marriage and Family Therapy. I have always been interested in becoming a therapist and NIU has shown me the path of helping couples and families. A fun fact is that I have a large family myself. I am the second oldest of the family with one older sister, three younger sisters, and one younger brother. I cannot wait to share my work with everyone on Decide To Commit!

I am a senior at Northern Illinois University majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. I am genuinely interested in how love, commitment, and emotional connection shape people’s lives and relationships. These interests guide my academic work and motivate my involvement in research. I am especially drawn to understanding how communication, trust, and mutual support contribute to healthy and lasting relationships. I value working with others who share a passion for meaningful research and thoughtful discussion. Through this experience, I hope to grow both personally and professionally while building a strong foundation for my future career and teammates along the way.

Hello! My name is Jose Arturo Brito, I am a senior at Northern Illinois University. I am majoring in psychology, where I am currently working towards my Family and Child studies minor alongside another minor in Counseling. Perhaps Spanish is next on the batter? I joined the research team because I think that my experiences over my life with the looming threat of divorce can offer some insight into this complex topic, but to also hopefully find that divorce isn’t always bad on a person’s psyche growing up. My plan after graduating is to go into grad school and begin my steps toward setting up my career in marriage and therapy. Fun Fact: I have been fixated on becoming some sort of therapist as far back as my freshman year of high school. The passion of wanting to help others has yet to abandon me.

Hi! My name is Justice Liboy. I am a senior at Northern Illinois University, majoring in social work with a minor in addiction studies. I hope after I graduate, I get into the marriage and family therapy program and become a licensed MFT. I joined the research team in hopes to show why commitment and relationships are so important for young emerging adults. As young adults, we are learning what we like and dislike and what we need in order for a relationship to be successful for both parties. I have a deep and genuine interest when it comes to love, because I believe people my age takes it for granted and blame it on being young. I hope to make new friends, and to finally put myself out there and be more social. In my free time I love to play video games, watch movies, and hang out with my family.

I am currently a first‑year graduate student in the Marriage and Family Therapy program here at NIU. I completed my undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with an emphasis in Family Social Services, along with a minor in Addiction Studies. This background shaped my interest in how families function and how relationships evolve. I’m especially drawn to work that translates research into practical, accessible tools that support healthier relationships, which is why being part of the DecideToCommit.com research team is such a perfect fit for me! After finishing my master’s degree, I plan to continue my education by pursuing a doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy. My long‑term goals include becoming a clinician, researcher, and professor, contributing to the field through teaching and community‑focused work that strengthens families and promotes long‑term relational health.

Hi, my name is Olivia Paluzzi! I am a senior at Northern Illinois University, majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences, with an emphasis in Family Social Services and a minor in Counseling. After graduation, I plan to move to Florida to pursue a master’s degree and work as a child and family therapist. I have always been interested in the family structure and the uniqueness each family portrays. I believe communication and commitment are foundational principles of healthy, flourishing relationships. Strong communication skills provide individuals with the tools needed to build meaningful connections, while commitment is an active choice made daily and an essential component of lasting relationships. By joining the research team, I hope to deepen my understanding of commitment, effective communication, and family structures. I believe this team will help me grow not only personally by deepening established and new connections but also professionally as a future therapist.

My name is Rhea Bough, I am a senior at northern Illinois. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Development and Family Sciences, along with an additional minor in Addiction. I joined the research team so I could learn from a professional that is experienced and knowledgeable in my fields of interest. I want to work with families in therapy, individually and as a whole. My plan for after graduation is to apply to graduate school programs in pursuit of a Doctorate in psychology. My fun fact is that i grew up homeschooled, all the way until college.

Hello! My name is Serenity Baskins I am currently a senior undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University with a Major in Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy and a minor in Family and Child studies. After graduating NIU with my bachelor's degree in psychology, I look forward to pursuing graduate school in the near future while still actively attending lab meetings with Dr. Sibley as well as other professors in the Psychology Department. My goal is to become a licensed therapist with an emphasis on marriage and family therapy. I joined this research team because I have a passion for helping not only individuals, but families, children and couples as well. I believe that we are doing a disservice to our clients if we limit ourselves as therapists to only seeking out individual therapy. I want to be the therapist that gives the family, couple, child etc. an opportunity to produce healthy communication and coping mechanisms while utilizing MFT theories and implementing them into practice. Aside from school, my interests include reading fantasy romance novels, video gaming, Taekwondo, and Cheer/Dance.

Back Row Left to Right: Emily Switzer, Rhea Bough,  Adriana Jenkins, Lexi DeHart, Jose Brito - Front Row Left to Right: Olivia Paluzzi, Brooklynn Garcia, Serenity Baskins, and Blasita Ochoa Garcia - Not pictured: Justice Liboy