K-12 Lab

A wise, ex-doctoral student and founder of a modest local design firm once told Maryanna that getting your PhD should feel like you're a kid in a candy store - you get to spend years exploring the thing that is most interesting to you. She has found that candy via triangulation - by learning about, experiencing, and researching design.

As a doctoral student in the School of Education, Maryanna is currently exploring motivation, emotion, and the individual's experience of the creative process. In addition to her research, Maryanna has designed and developed programs, curricula, and media in the areas of public and mental health. These projects include designing solutions for HIV/AIDS prevention programs and campaigns with non-profits based in California and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as well as developing new technology-driven solutions for children with anxiety, mood, and eating disorders.

Maryanna left her home in Alabama to attend Northwestern University, where she studied Radio/TV/Film. After working for several years in the Film and TV industry, Maryanna's desire to learn more about the individual and societal impact of the media she was putting out into the world lead her to UCLA to study psychology. She came to Stanford in 2005 in pursuit of a happy medium between creating products and learning about human behavior. With an MA in Learning, Design, and Technology under her belt, she is now working towards her PhD in Psychological Studies in Education.

She is ecstatic to have recently moved to lovely Alamo Square in San Francisco, where you can often find her working her way through the neighborhood farmer's market, running through the park, and exploring local bakery offerings.