Closeup of Maria Arantes

Maria Arantes

Pronouns: she, her

Master’s Student
Research Assistant
2024-present

M.A. Psychology
Physical and Mental Health Research Emphasis

Location
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[address]
[City, State, Zip]
Mail Code
[1234]
Fax
[619-594-####]

Areas of Research

Cross-cultural psychology, Cultural psychology, health and mental health disparities, Acculturation

Bio

Maria is a second-year master’s student with a research emphasis in physical and mental health. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arizona in 2024, earning a major in Psychological Science and a minor in Consciousness Studies. In the REACH Lab, Maria works on a pilot study aimed at informing the development of a culturally tailored mental health program for Latino communities in churches. For her thesis, she is conducting qualitative interviews to explore community members’ attitudes, beliefs, experiences, and cultural perceptions of mental health. Additionally, she investigates how their immigration experiences or upbringing in the U.S. influence mental health, cultural identity, and religious practices.

Maria is particularly interested in how culture, especially language, influences behavior and thought. She plans to pursue these research interests further in a doctoral program after completing her master’s degree.

Mentors

Elva Arredondo, Ph.D.

Projects

Conmigo
Faith in Action

Details

Education
  1. B.S. Psychological Science
    University of Arizona, 2024
Publications
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Presentations
  1. Arantes, M., Schneider, J., & Arredondo, E.,. (2025, February). Exploring the Role of Spiritual Health in Quality of Life Flourishing and Depressive Symptoms Among Latina Churchgoers. Oral presentation at the SDSU Student Symposium, San Diego, CA.
  2. Arantes, M., Schneider, J., Salcedo, A., Hernandez, S., Alfaro, V., Arredondo, E. (2025, July). Religious Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms in Latina Women: Insights from a Community-Based Study. Poster presentation at the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Research Conference (APA Division 45), Ann Arbor, MI.
Service
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Grants
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Clinical Trials
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Awards & Honors
  1. Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship
Patents & Copyrights
  1. Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship
Media
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Fun Facts
  1. Maria is multilingual! She speaks English, Portuguese, and Italian fluently and is actively learning Spanish. Born and raised in Brazil, she lived in Italy for a period before moving to the United States for college and graduate school