Tasia Washington is pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies. Her research interests include studying individual differences in the way rural children learn and use language. Being from an area where there are high poverty rates and low high school graduation rates, she became interested in studying development of children from low-income families. In addition to her passion to this population, she has an overwhelming desire to help those in need and has dedicated many hours of service volunteering in low- income communities. She is the mother of two wonderful children, Jordan and Mikayla, and believes parenting is the most important of her many roles. She hopes to one day open a transitional shelter for low-income single mothers to help them develop the skills they need to overcome any obstacles they face. She is currently working as a Crisis Counselor assisting victims of the April 2011 tornados rehabilitate and connect with the resources in the community. She plans to graduate in May 2012 and continue to pursue her Ph.D.
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