Dr. Scott Solberg's Team 

Dr. Chong Myung Park is a research scientist in the Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development Department at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research focuses on the examination of career development in K–12 and post-secondary settings and as a lifelong learning process. Specific areas of research include college and career readiness, workplace skills, financial literacy skills, career pathways to STEM occupations, and Personalized Career and Academic Plans. Dr. Park has been coordinating an international collaborative research study on social and emotional learning since 2018 where she works with career development researchers from 20 countries to examine educators’ perspectives on SEL in developing youth future readiness. She also conducts evaluations of career development programs and activities, career identity development, and social and emotional learning skills. Dr. Park completed her internship at the Office of Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz where she conducted research on dropout interventions and preventions.

Zhouyan Bu is a doctoral student in applied human development at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. His research focuses on promoting early career development in children and shaping their career outlooks. Zhouyan aims to develop strategies that foster early social-emotional experiences to support career development and readiness in youth. At the Center for Future Readiness at BU Wheelock, Zhouyan contributes to research and initiatives that support children and adolescents in pursuing future educational and career success by exploring the intersections of career development and other societal factors. With prior experience in human resources and career services in higher education, Zhouyan brings a practical, informed approach to his research, bridging theory and practice to create meaningful impact.

Annie is a graduate of the Wheelock College of Education at Boston University. She earned a BS in Education and Human Development, with a specialization in Educational Design for Transformative Social Futures. Her academic focuses were spatial impact on education and learning, and exploring ways to design innovative curriculum. Annie began working at the Center for Future Readiness in her Junior year of college, helping to develop career readiness curricula for Boston-area community organizations, including West End House and Sociedad Latina, based on Dr. Park and Dr. Solberg’s research. Her primary role as an undergraduate was serving as a liaison between their community-based research partners and the Center for Future Readiness. She focused on adapting curriculum to suit the needs of these organizations, and to benefit their youth. She also designed a career readiness curriculum for The Possible Zone organization in Boston as part of her degree’s practicum requirement. In her current role, Annie continues to work on curriculum, while also coordinating the State Leaders Career Development Network, assisting with research and research project design at the center, and leading the development of an open-access career readiness resource database. In the future she hopes to hone her research skills, and pursue a masters or doctoral degree.

Dr. Hayoung K. Donnelly is a computational psychologist specializing in mental health and the future readiness of adolescents and young adults, grounded in positive youth development and the ecological framework. Her work leverages state-of-the-art methods to address disparities in health and education among youth at national and international levels. She has extensive expertise in data mining and integration, analyzing diverse data sources, including large-scale survey data, national statistics, and text data. Her approach focuses on developing explainable and inclusive AI by integrating natural language processing, large language models, machine learning, and traditional psychological research methods. At the Center for Future Readiness, she serves as a data scientist and consultant, focusing on synthesizing multiple data to evaluate future readiness levels and needs across states.

Junyi Lu is a Bachelor of Arts student at Boston University, pursuing a double degree in Music and Sociology. As an emerging researcher, Junyi has conducted independent studies on the preservation and inheritance of traditional, ethnic, and minor arts and cultures. Currently, she works with ArtsLab, an initiative affiliated with BU’s College of Fine Arts, as a program assistant and is involved in helping implement arts-based programs at Boston Medical Center and using the arts to promote community well-being and engagement. Her research interests span human and cultural development, social inequality, and musical cultures. As an international student, she brings a global perspective to her work, exploring the intersection of culture, society, and the transformative role of the arts in driving social change.

Alison Di Tucci is a senior at Boston University studying Education and Human Development specializing in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and a minor in Emotional Behavioral Challenges in Schools. Alison has gained various experiences in schools, beginning as a substitute teacher in and around the Boston area. In this role, she learned the importance of building strong relationships with students and the various struggles students face inside and outside the classroom, which sparked her interest in learning more about school counseling. Alison has previously worked as a Program Assistant for My Career & Academic Plan (MyCAP). In this position, she collaborated with various school counselors within Boston Public Schools to create lessons for 6th-12th grade students focusing on their academic and future career aspirations. In her most recent role, Alison is a part of a school mental health team, working closely with caregivers and school personnel to support students in their educational and developmental journey. Apart from her school-based experience, Alison is a research assistant on STEM Cascades, a project that examines young individuals and the pedagogical strategies they utilize to teach other youth STEM-related content. She also works with Dr. Solberg and Dr. Park on resource gathering to centralize and develop a career readiness resource database. In the future, Alison hopes to continue working in and around the Boston area and begin a graduate program to become a school counselor.

Anastasia graduated from Eckerd College in 2020 with a degree in Communication and minors in Marketing and French. She started her career as a marketing and event planner, helping businesses with rebranding and strategic growth. After some time, she shifted her focus to working in schools, specifically supporting elementary students in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Now, Anastasia is pursuing her Master’s in School Counseling at Boston University, while also working at the Center for Future Readiness. There, she helps manage social media and website design, supporting the center’s mission to provide resources for students and families.