Gaby Mu (’25)

Gaby Mu is a Penn State senior majoring in Psychology and Criminology. Gaby is interested in understanding the impact of systemic inequities on youth’s health, behavior, and well-being. Given her passion for learning, she sought opportunities to gain research skills and expand her knowledge on how these inequities, as well as peer socialization, influence youth development. After completing her undergraduate degree, Gaby plans to work for some time before returning to academia to pursue a master’s degree in social work.

Gaby works as an undergraduate research assistant in the Context & Development Lab (CDL) with Dr. Dawn P. Witherspoon. The Context & Development Lab explores how place-based and social context impact youth of color’s developmental outcomes, such as academics, health, and behavior. Gaby aides the lab’s efforts through data cleaning and entry, conducting literature searches, transcribing focus group transcripts, and translating lab documents from English to Spanish. Gaby appreciates being part of the CDL’s community as it provides her an opportunity to foster intellectual growth along with supportive peers and mentors who encourage academic progress, celebrate achievement, and share resources for success. Gaby worked on a research project, guided by Dr. Witherspoon, which examined the impact of neighborhood characteristics and ethnic-racial socialization on deviant behavior for Latin American youth. She explored how different ethnic-racial socialization strategies influenced the relationship between neighborhood factors and deviant behaviors. Gaby presented findings from her research at the 2025 Penn State Undergraduate Exhibition, where she received an honorable mention award for excellence in information literacy.

Outside of research, Gaby dances merengue, salsa, and bachata, which brings her so much joy. She also loves to rollerblade, listen to music, and write poetry.

The CSC wishes Gaby all the best in her future academic pursuits!