Resources

Watch the webinar recording here:

Transcripts can be found here.

View the webinar Padlet here.

Description:

Our Stories of Strength is a school-based program that is co-designed with youth to improve psychological well-being by integrating youth voice strategies with concepts and tools derived from positive psychology and narrative therapy. The program aims to illuminate and refine youths’ personal narratives of resilience and empowerment and to improve perceptions of school climate by building narratives around collective support and alliance. Using photovoice strategies, participants identify sources of personal competence, interpersonal support, and institutional support.

In this webinar, Our Stories of Strength adult researchers, educators, and youth collaborator-participants will describe key program activities and program benefits.

Presenters:

Dr. Meagan O’Malley is a Professor of School Psychology at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), where she prepares graduate students to apply evidence-based methods in psychoeducational assessment as well as academic and mental health interventions. Dr. O’Malley leads an active research program focused on school climate, school mental health, and psychoeducational assessment practices. A central aim of her work is to support educators and families in empowering youth from historically underrepresented groups, including students with disabilities.

Dr. Sruthi Swami is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology M.A./Ed.S. program at Sacramento State University and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Her work focuses on the impact of racism and discrimination on the mental health and identity development of racially and ethnically minoritized youths and adolescents. Dr. Swami engages in applied research with local high school students on building resilience in the face of trauma.

Dr. Jeremy DeWayne Greene is a nationally certified school psychologist, professor of school psychology, and poet/hip-hop artist. Although residing within the Sacramento region, his familial roots remain firmly planted in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Utilizing a narrative approach, Dr. Greene has a passion for advocacy via the promotion and strengthening of voices often minimized by society at large. Thus, in his free time, Dr. Greene enjoys gathering and sharing the stories that he has heard along those winding roads…stories that also include his time living and working as a school psychologist in Shanghai, China (from 2017 to 2019).

David Wong is an educator with over 25 years of experience in English Language Arts instruction and a longstanding commitment to equity and access for historically underserved student populations. He has taught across California and Texas, bringing a statewide and cross-regional perspective to instructional leadership, program implementation, and student advocacy.

Grounded in a student-centered teaching philosophy that emphasizes voice, agency, and academic identity, David is dedicated to advancing equitable, engaging learning environments that promote academic confidence, college and career readiness, and long-term student success.

Hadia Ahmad is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she is pursuing a triple major in Legal Studies, Psychology, and Sociology. She was born and raised in Sacramento, California, and is a first-generation Pakistani American student. Her academic interests center on the intersections of law, mental health, and social inequality, with a focus on understanding how systemic factors impact diverse communities. When in high school, Hadia was a participant-researcher in the development of Our Stories of Strength, and is credited as an author on a study recently published in the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community.

Tristan Puelicher is an Irish Indo-Fijian student in his senior year at California State University, Northridge. Pursuing a degree in Psychology, his studies and interests are centered on social change, political advocacy, and psychiatric healing from a psychological perspective. He began his involvement in the development of Our Stories of Strength as a participant-researcher in the tenth grade. In addition, he is credited as an author on a study recently published in the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community. Post-university, Tristan intends to pursue a career rooted in community service, systemic change, and mental healing.