Cierra Abellera received her B.S. in Psychological Brain Sciences from Boise State University in 2019 and was awarded a Top Ten Scholar. Cierra studied abroad at the University of Ghana, Accra where she interned with the West African AIDS Foundation conducting community outreach and addressing effective means of HIV testing. Additionally, as a McNair Scholar, she pursued independent research on stress and resilience among university refugee students from a cultural and biological framework as well as career resources for psychology undergraduates.
Cierra’s current research interests include intervening in negative attitudes towards refugees and other migrant groups and understanding acculturation resiliency processes among migrant populations. Cierra is also interested in resiliency processes among disadvantaged and vulnerable populations within broader education and health contexts.