Leslie Williams is a second year doctoral student in the Psychology and Social Intervention program. She received her B.A in Psychology and minor in Women's Studies as well as a second B.A in African American and African Studies with a minor in Dance both from The Ohio State University. At Ohio State she also worked as a research assistant in the social psychology lab and as a course assistant for Psychology 100. In addition, she worked as an intern in the Department of Recreation and Educational Activities at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Facility.Leslie's research interests include HIV/AIDS prevention; resilience of impoverished and otherwise at-risk children and youth; the relationship between culture, race/ethnicity, and resilience; risk factors for children of orphaned status; the effects of family-level trauma on children and the family system; and the role of race/ethnicity and cultural norms in sexual behavior. She is currently working on "The Well-being of South Africa's Children," also called "SIZE," a research project investigating household, community and policy influences on the health and development of children and youth. She is also beginning work on a project under the direction of Dr. Alisha Ali which will involve the implementation of a financial empowerment intervention for survivors of domestic abuse. Additionally, she is helping to collect data on children's behavior in the classroom under the direction of Dr. Elise Cappella for Project BRIDGE. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Larry Aber.