Elita Farahdel

Elita Farahdel is currently a sophomore at Yale University, where she is studying both Comparative Literature and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. She has been raised as a child of immigrant parents and a second-generation college student. In addition to her academic pursuits, she devotes her time to volunteering and teaching children how to read and write in various classroom settings and is hoping to one day become a pediatric surgeon. She uses her fluency in 7 languages to connect to all kinds of people and extend her empathy to those she volunteers for. Her extensive work with under-served children has enlightened her on the idea of inclusion and “accessibility.” She brings a passion for inclusive child access to the right care, education and mental health resources needed for a successful upbringing.

Since May 2020, Elita has also worked as a research assistant to Peggy Daly Pizzo on a funded project focused on resilience, early care and education, and the health and mental health systems. This work has involved summarization and analysis of the research and policy literature related to adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and children with special needs. Elita has applied her own knowledge about children to learn about the impact made by the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of both the children as well as early educators in the early childhood education field. Elita brings a psychological and social science aspect of early childhood health to the more clinical side of early childhood developmental disorder research.