Meet The Team

Dr. Goodwill is a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.

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Her research aims to promote mental health and prevent suicide among Black Americans.

Dr. Goodwill utilizes survey, qualitative, and intervention data to explore how positive psychological factors like hope, joy, and meaning in life can be used to foster well-being across the life course. She is currently leading several projects that focus on issues related to suicide prevention for Black communities in Chicago, while also writing extensively about Black Americans' mental health experiences during COVID-19.

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Dr. Goodwill earned her MSW, MS in psychology, and joint PhD in social work and psychology from the University of Michigan. She completed her undergraduate studies in psychology at Michigan State University and joined the faculty at UChicago in 2020.

Ashley Aguilar primarily manages day-to-day functions for the Black Youth Suicide Prevention Project, including recruitment, interviewing, data analysis, and manuscript drafting.

 

Previously, she worked as a project manager surveying community needs in Harvey, IL. While obtaining her Master of Public Policy degree she designed and implemented a qualitative study observing how religion contributes to the promotion of human flourishing among South Side residents. Ashley is currently working towards publishing the results from this study.

 

Ashley holds a Master of Public Policy from University of Chicago and a B.S. in Biology from UCLA. 

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Destiny is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Chicago majoring in Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity. She is deeply dedicated to learning about race and how it plays a role in our society. Specifically, she is passionate about justice and equality for marginalized groups and for their voices to be heard. 

 

Destiny is primarily interested in gaining knowledge through counternarratives. Through her academics she has studied closely the way in which race impacts us all, and only hopes to learn more throughout her time here at University of Chicago. Previously, Destiny has worked at the addiction treatment center Bradley Health Services.

 

Being a part of that team provided insight towards the treatment of underrepresented groups, which further inspired her interest in working with communities like those served through the PURPOSE Lab.

Dayhana is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Chicago double majoring in Biology with a specialization in Global and Public health as well as Race, Diasporas, and Indigeneity on a pre-med track.

 

She is extremely dedicated to helping those in her community, that is why she plans on going into the medical field. For a couple of years now she has been volunteering for the Giving Hands Foundation in the Dominican Republic where she helps families in need by providing food, clothes, hygiene products as well as school supplies and more, to try and bridge that economic and educational gap that is seen in underprivileged communities in the Dominican Republic.

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Gabrielle Robinson is an upcoming senior at Denmark High School with plans to major in Business Administration as well as minor in Psychology once she attends college. 

 

Gabrielle is extremely passionate about raising mental health awareness, specifically in marginalized groups of all ages. She is in her second year of being both a Student Government Association Officer and Sources of Strength Peer Leader at her school. She speaks at pep-rallies and many other school events to teach students about the signs of suicide and ways to connect with help for those who are struggling. By working on the PURPOSE Lab, she hopes to further her understanding in reducing suicide rates and assist in making mental health a more normalized conversation for youth.

 

She aspires to have her own non-profitable organization one day to extend mental health resources to marginalized communities, especially those who lack the ability to afford expensive support.

Kunashe is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Chicago double majoring in Biology and Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity with a minor in Cognitive Science. 

 

Kunashe is passionate about global health equity and inclusion and is focused on using humanities-based approaches to tackle such topics. She is on the pre-medical track and is interested in becoming a practicing physician that explores the ways these approaches can enhance scientific methodologies and improve patient care. 

 

Her desire to be a part of the movement for equity in the healthcare space was recently furthered through being a policy writing intern for an international dental association, allowing her to gain insight into the processes and work done to create change in medical and public health domains.