Department/College/UnitSocial Sciences Division

TitleGraduate Student

AffiliationGraduate

Web SiteMigration,

Primary Office LocationSocial Sciences 2
206

Mail StopPsychology Faculty Services

Biography, Education and Training

I'm a Ph.D. student in Social Psychology at UCSC. I work with Dr. Saskias Casanova's in the Migration, Identity, and Education Lab! I seek to conduct social justice-oriented research and community-engaged research. Specifically, I am interested in issues related to Latine/x populations that promote education, psychological well-being, and overall health. I am Central American, hijx of immigrants, and a first-generation college student born and raised in the Bay Area, CA. I double-majored in Psychology and Latino/a Studies at San Francisco State University, where I also pursued an M.A. in Psychology with a graduate certificate in Ethnic Studies. Thus, my worldview and my research interests are informed by interdisciplinary perspectives, critical theories, and practices. 

In addition, I serve multiple roles at UCSC to help foster community and belonging for graduate students. I'm a Grad Writing Rep for The Sluggish Writers Collective, a Grad Writing Mentor for the Rebellious Chingone Writers for Liberation (a group co-created by me and a fellow social psych grad student), and I am a Grad Committee Board Member for the First-Gen Graduate Initiative. 

Research Interests

Latine/x populations, adolescents, young adults, discrimination, race/ethnicity, education, well-being, health, sexual health, substance use, intersectionality, liberation psychology, community-engaged research (CER), youth participatory action research (PAR/YPAR)

Teaching Interests

Check out my digital Zine on how to have difficult conversations in the classroom from my experience as a TA in Community Psychology. You can also find more resources here.

Awards, Honors and Grants

Lionel Cantú Memorial Award (2025)

Abolition Medicine and Disability Justice Research Fellow (2025)

New Gen Learning (NGL) Research Fellow (2024)

CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) Fellow (2024)

CSU Pre-Doctoral Sally Casanova Scholar (2021-2022)

Selected Presentations

Centeno, B., Vukovic, R., & Casanova, S. (2025, May 1–3). The buffering effects of ethnicity: Ethnic identity and stereotype vulnerability in Latine children. Exploring Latine and Indigenous Latine identity: How environmental factors influence racial-ethnic identity [Symposium]. Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) Biennial 2025 Conference, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

Centeno, B., Coronado, B., Williams, L., Leon, D., Mendez, B., Molina, A., & Casanova, S. (2025, April 23–27). Harm reduction education among Latinx college students at a Hispanic Serving Research Institution (HSRI). In Casanova, S. (Chair) Leveraging the R in HSRIs: Research for educational equity at a Hispanic Serving Research Institution [Roundtable]. American Education Research Association 2025 Annual Conference, Denver, CO, United States.

Centeno, B., & Casanova, S. (2024, June 21–23). Does Latinidad perpetuate colorism? Ethnic identity and colorism among Latinx. [Paper presentation]. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Centeno, B., Figueroa, J., Taft, J. K., & Casanova, S. (2024, March 1–2). YPAR: Learning to Learn from Youth. [Roundtable]. 2024 University-Community (UC) Links Hybrid International Conference, UC Berkeley, CA.

Centeno, B., Bayazıtlı, I., Bravo, D. Y., Reyes, D. G., Argueta Rodriguez, J. C., Cabilogan, J. N., Moon, J., Purnell S. E., & Mello, Z. R. (2023, October 13–15). Coloring schools and communities: The association between colorism, academic achievement, mental health, and substance use among Latinx adolescents. The developmental significance of skin color. [Symposium]. The 13th Biennial Conference of the Society for the Study of Human Development, Philadelphia, PA.

Centeno, B., Moon, J., Bayazitli, I., & Mello, Z. R. (2022, October 20–22). A qualitative approach to understanding perceived discrimination based on immigration among adolescents. [Poster presentation]. National Latinx Psychological Association Conference, Denver, Colorado.

Selected Publications

Centeno, B., Bayazitli, I., Purnell, S., Bravo, D. Y., & Mello, Z. R. (2023). Colorism unveiled: Examining how skin color discrimination is associated with academic achievement, mental health, and substance use among Latinx adolescents. Research in Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2023.2271363 

Moon, J., Centeno, B., De Leon, J., & Mello, Z. R. (2023). Brief Report: Revealing the nuance: Examining approaches for research with adolescents who identify with multiple racial/ethnic groups. Journal of Adolescence, 1–10. http://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12242