Leadership Team

Monica E. Romero, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Romero is an Assistant Professor in the combined School/Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Texas at Austin. She/Ella graduated from the University of Missouri School Psychology program. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Santa Barbara Psychological Internship Consortium (SBPIC) in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

Dr. Romero’s research focuses on four lines of inquiry: (1) developing and evaluating culturally and linguistically responsive interventions with a focus on academic, social-emotional learning, and mental health for emergent bilingual/multilingual learners and Latiné/x students; (2) investigating multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and data-based decision making (DBDM) in schools; (3) family-school-community collaboration practices for newcomer students and families; and (4) training of bilingual school psychologists.

Dr. Romero is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and is passionate about working with school and communities to support the Latine/x and multilingual community.

Mariana Davila

Graduate Student

Mariana Davila is pursuing her Doctoral degree in the School/Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Texas at Austin. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a Specialization degree in School Psychology from Texas State University.

Before embarking on her doctoral journey, Mariana served as a bilingual School Psychologist, where her experiences ignited a passion for promoting equity within special education for the culturally diverse community. Her research interests now center around enhancing the cultural competence of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) processes, interventions, and services. Outside of her academic pursuits, Mariana finds joy in spending quality time with her family and taking leisurely walks with her dog.

Daisy Barrientos

Graduate Student

Daisy Barrientos is a doctoral student in the combined school/clinical child psychology program at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Texas Tech University in December 2024. Her research interests include the mental health and well-being of ethnic minority youth, the familial & sociocultural factors that affect them, and school interventions for marginalized students. Daisy also focuses on Latinx students and their academic, social-emotional, and mental health outcomes. Her future plans include working in a school setting where she can perform assessments for students in need, provide counseling to ethnic minority youth through community mental health settings, and continue research in the field of ethnic minority youth psychology. In her free time, Daisy enjoys concerts, exercising, and spending time with her dog.

Luisa Acevedo

Graduate Student

Luisa Acevedo holds a Bachelor of Science in Education with an emphasis in Special Education from Texas Tech University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She has experience as both an Early Childhood and Special Education Teacher in Austin, earning Teacher of the Year in 2021 and Teacher of Promise in 2023. Her expertise includes Applied Behavior Analysis, developing Individualized Education Programs, and creating personalized reinforcement strategies to support student success.

Luisa is currently pursuing her Master’s in School Psychology at UT Austin as a Trainee in the Training in Comprehensive Services in School Psychology (TRACSS) Program and serves as the Secretary for the Student Affiliates in School Psychology (SASP). She is also excited to be part of the Empower Lab, where she collaborates on research supporting historically underserved communities, including students with disabilities and bilingual learners. Committed to promoting equity in schools, she looks forward to using her skills to bridge educational gaps. Luisa is eager to continue making a meaningful impact as she prepares to become a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology.