Meet Our Team
Michelle Toews
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Research Interest: Dating violence, intimate partner violence, adolescent parents’ coparenting and romantic relationships, relationship education, violence prevention
Life Outside of the Lab: Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, reading, watching college football, traveling, and hiking.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Cinnamon
Kristin Anders
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Research Interest: Sexual identity development, romantic relationship health, adolescence and emerging adulthood, sexual and relationship education programs
Life Outside of the Lab: Kristin can be found either outdoors or cooking in the kitchen. She loves being active outside with her husband and dog, traveling, and binge watching the Food Network.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Coffee
Shelby Astle
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Research Interests: Parent-child sexual communication and sexual script formation
Life Outside the Lab: Shelby loves swimming, reading, watching Netflix, and having other people make her food.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Pistachio
Ben Jones
Hometown: Griffin, GA
Research Interest: Increasing child and adolescent utilization of mental health care in underserved areas, particularly through program development, increased access to resources, and stigma reduction.
Life Outside of the Lab: Ben is particularly fond of going on walks and hikes with his wife and dog, playing board games with friends, reading biographies, listening to true crime audiobooks on road trips, and lecturing people on why Michael Keaton is the best Batman.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Blend
Natalie Kokjer
Hometown: Prairie Village, Kansas
Research Interests: Psychology of Sexual Violence and Perceptions of Sexual Assault
Life Outside the Lab: Natalie enjoys spending time with friends, being outdoors, playing with her dogs, and watching Netflix
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Anything with brownie in it
Paige McAllister 
Hometown: Morgan, UT
Research Interests: Sexual and dating violence, sexual identity development, trauma and healing
Life Outside the Lab: Paige enjoys baking, listening to true crime podcasts, and traveling
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Mango gelato
Alumni
Autumn Bermea
Hometown: San Marcos, TX
Research Interests: Intimate partner violence in queer relationships, post-separation violence, and healthy relationship education and IPV prevention among marginalized groups
Life Outside of the Lab: Autumn enjoys going to concerts, art museums, and exploring new cities.
Where She is Now: Autumn completed her PhD in Family Science and Human Development at Montclair State University and is now a postdoctoral fellow at The Ohio State University.
Sarah Emanuels
Hometown: Prairie Village, KS
Research Interest: adolescent relationship development, adolescent parents and coparenting, relationship education, and dating violence.
Life Outside of the Lab: Sarah loves being active, biking or running, spending time with her friends and family, and reading books of all genres. She also just got married!
Where She is Now: Sarah completed her MS in Applied Family Science at Kansas State University and is now working as a Family Services Counselor for First Call Alcohol/Drug Prevention and Recovery.
Nathaniel Faflick
Hometown: Wichita, KS
Research Interests: Adolescent and emerging adult relationships, sexual and gender minorities' experiences with religion, identity development.
Life Outside of the Lab: Nathaniel loves dogs, bikes, spending time outside, camping, and watching live music
Where He is Now: Nate completed his BS in Human Development and Family Science at Kansas State University and is now pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver, School of Public Affairs. He is also working as a Development and Communications Associate at A+ Colorado where he spends his time analyzing research and advocating for quality education for all students.
Suzanna Gevock
Hometown: Manhattan, KS
Research Interests: adolescent mental health and adolescent relationship development
Life Outside the Lab: competitive fast-pitch softball, reading, binge watching TV shows, late night trips to Wal-Mart with friends
Where She is Now: Suzanna recently completed her BS in Human Development and Family Science at Kansas State University and is now attending Wichita State University pursuing her MSW.
Eric Goodcase
Hometown: South Lyon, MI
Research Interest: Adolescent and emerging adult relationships, role of technology in courtship and established romantic relationships, public scholarship, sexual and relationship education programs
Life Outside of the Lab: Eric is an avid sports fan, cat person, and comic book nerd. He is also the host of the Relevate Presents: Scholars Ship podcast about fictional couples from tv and film available on iTunes.
Where He is Now: Eric completed his PhD in Couple and Family Therapy at Kansas State University and is now a postdoctoral fellow at The University of Alabama.
Lara Hoss
Hometown: Salina, KS
Research Interest: Dating violence, intimate partner violence, family chaos and mental health
Life Outside of the Lab: In her free time, Lara enjoys spending time with friends, hanging out with her cat, and watching Netflix and Hulu
Where She is Now: Lara completed her BS in Human Development and Family Science at Kansas State University and is is attending Purdue University Northwest pursuing a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Afriyah Mayasa-Hailey
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Research Interest: Coparenting and romantic relationships, parent-child relationships, family dynamics, parental stress and coping
Life Outside of the Lab: Afriyah loves to travel, watch movies/TV shows, and spend time with her family and friends. She also enjoys listening to music, attending music concerts, and going to the beach.
Where She is Now: After completing the Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (SUROP) at K-State, Afriyah is back at her home university California State University, Long Beach where she is finishing her B.A. degree.
Jennica Rogers
Hometown: Manhattan, KS
Research Interests: Developmental psychology, adolescent risk and resilience
Life Outside the Lab: I really like watching movies and binge watching my favorite shows. I also enjoy cooking and going to various coffee shops.
Where She is Now: Jenni is currently pursuing a PhD in Developmental Psychology at UC-Irvine.