Dr. Mildred M. Alvarez earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Boston University in 1985. Dr. Alvarez was a Post-doctoral Research Trainee at The University of Kansas and a Visiting Fellow at Cornell University before joining the faculty at San Jose State University in 1990. Dr Alvarez's research focuses on the role of ethnicity and gender in the socialization of emotion. In addition to this research, Dr. Alvarez is interested in the role of ethnic identity on the educational attitudes of emerging adults and also the influence of media, especially television, on youth. Dr. Alvarez teaches courses in Child and Adolescent Psychology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. She has served as Associate Chair of the department and as a departmental advisor for undergraduate psychology majors.