Anna Parentau is a student in the undergraduate child psychology program in the Institute of Child Development (ICD). Below, Parentau shares her future plans and the connections she will keep with ICD.

What made you want to study child psychology or early childhood?

When I was applying to college, I knew I wanted to work with children, but not in the education system. I also loved psychology and learning about the brain and development. When I saw that child psychology was a major at the U, and researched it a bit, I knew it was the perfect fit.

What kind of research are you involved in?

I am involved in the Gunnar Lab, where we study the importance of early experience on areas of development, stress biology, and many other different things. I started as an undergraduate research assistant for credit. Then I started working for the lab by running participant sessions for many studies, participant recruitment, and creating/managing the lab’s databases for different studies. I also started my own research project through the UROP program.

What do you find most interesting about child development?

When studying child development, you learn something different each day because children are  ever-changing. Individual differences are what make our field interesting and important. Working with and studying children is so special because they are our future.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I just accepted a full-time research coordinator position in the psychiatry department, working with adolescents. I will continue my connections with ICD through the Gunnar Lab, and continue visiting the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery weekly to assist with our program evaluation.

How would you describe your experience at ICD?

My experience at ICD has been amazing. I have been connected with some of the top researchers and minds in the field of child development. I was lucky enough to get involved with research as a first-year student and have been given increasing opportunities each year in my college career. I have benefited from taking engaging and interesting classes taught by great professors and researchers at ICD.