Makaela is a rising senior at NYU Gallatin with a concentration examining psychology and racial identity development, with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Her interdisciplinary work weaves together critical race theory, Black studies, and social and developmental psychology to examine how young Black children begin to make sense of their racial identity. She is particularly interested in how early experiences with discrimination and racial socialization shape children’s cognitive development and their understanding of equality, fairness, and social hierarchy. Makaela is also committed to advancing critical race methodologies within psychological research to center the lived experiences of Black youth.