Erin Vines is a doctoral candidate in the Youth Development and Family Science (YDFS) program at the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences (FYCS). She conducts research on youth and families experiencing adversity. She focuses on promoting active youth engagement in research, practice, and policy decisions. Erin is passionate about bringing youth to the forefront of research through youth participatory action research (YPAR). In youth participatory action research, youth identify the issues impacting their lives and conduct research on them to create change. She joined the YDFS program to explore participatory action research further, and now works with Dr. Michelle Abraczinskas, an expert in YPAR.

Erin’s Research

Before starting in the YDFS doctoral program, Erin conducted student support research at the University of Virginia’s Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning. Her research at the University of Virginia supported students from early childhood through college. Now, Erin studies risks that youth and families are prone to and processes that may mitigate these risks. For example, she has focused on risks associated with parental incarceration. She also conducts youth participatory action research, which directly involves youth in the research process. Understanding youth experiences is critical in the development of research, policies, and programs for youth. Despite this, youth are often left out of these processes. This means that their firsthand experiences are also left out.

“I hope to use my research to develop programming with youth and families that address their needs,” Erin says. “I want young people to feel like their experiences matter and that they have a voice in what support looks like.”

Erin has received recognition for her research and teaching during her time in the YDFS program. In Summer 2025, she was part of the PreventiGators research team that won the 2025 Society for Prevention Research Sloboda Cup competition. The North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture also recognized her with a Graduate Student Teaching Award in summer 2025.

Next Steps

FYCS awarded Erin the Rosemary V. Barnett Scholarship in 2024. This award honors students in the YDFS program who display excellence in their research. Erin used the scholarship to fund her dissertation, which included interviewing young adults who experienced parental incarceration. The scholarship allowed her to compensate these individuals for their participation.

“One of my values as a researcher is to compensate people for their time and contributions,” Erin Says. “The Rosemary V. Barnett Scholarship had an incredible impact on my research. Without it, my dissertation would not have been possible!”

Erin plans to defend her dissertation and graduate in Spring 2025. After graduation she hopes to find a job where she can continue to perform community-engaged work supporting youth and families.

Departmental scholarships help to support students like Erin, who are passionate about bringing positive change to families and communities. You can support FYCS students this year during Giving Day on February 19, 2026. Learn more about Giving Day on the official Giving Day website. This year, the Dr. Tracy Irani and Dr. William Renkus Scholarship Endowment is a featured fund. If you would like to support FYCS students on Giving Day, please visit our featured fund page.

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