Carla Garcia Bio 

Carla Garcia received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University in 2006. While an undergraduate, Carla participated in two research fellowship programs. As a research fellow at UCLA, she examined first and second generation adolescents from Chinese and Mexican backgrounds to see how their generational status affected their choice of self-identified ethnic labels. The following summer she attended the University of Iowa's summer fellowship program where investigated 'benefit finding' among bone marrow transplant recipients. Specifically, she examined the role of optimism and its effect on psychological and physical functioning. Carla's interest in working with HIV and gay men began after her first job in high school, where she worked as an office clerk for a medical practice in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco whose patient population was predominately gay men living with HIV/AIDS. Eventually, she would like to pursue graduate degree in the field of psychology or nursing.