Sofia Deatherage is a second year P.h.D student at Mizzou from Beaverton, Oregon. She received her undergraduate degree at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska with Communication Studies and Psychology as majors and an English minor. Sofia is currently pursuing a degree in Interpersonal/Family Communication with a focus on cross-cultural studies, ethnic minority families, and incorporating Psychology research and theories into her interdisciplinary work.  

Sofia’s research thus far has focused on mental health memorable messages in families of ethnic and cultural minority and how these messages impact young adults’ perceptions and attitudes toward mental health and communication surrounding mental health in their families. Her experience with narrative theories, especially Communicated Narrative Sense-Making, has inspired her to use story building and telling as a form of process and communication within families. Going forward she hopes to continue researching mental health from a cross-cultural perspective as well as family messages about identity and place in Latino/a families. Additionally, Sofia plans to expand the scope of her research to investigate biracial/multiracial identity in families and peer groups. In her free time outside of research you can find Sofia cooking, reading, writing, being outdoors, yoga, hanging out with friends, and doing anything that involves dogs.