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Brian Galla

Biography

Dissertation Proposal Title: Clarity in the eye of the storm: The role of inhibitory control in low-income adolescents' daily emotion regulation and its consequences for academic achievement

Dissertation Description: The main goals of Brian Galla’s research are to examine factors through which high-achieving, economically disadvantaged youth adaptively cope with daily stressors (teasing and bullying by peers as well as being “overwhelmed” by the academic workload), and its consequences for academic and social-emotional outcomes.  Adolescents who experience even a moderate amount of daily “hassles” report more psychological distress, aggressive behaviors, interpersonal conflict, and perform worse on academic assessments “relative to their less stressed peers.”  But the conundrum Brian is faced with is that not all individuals who experience “daily stressors” succumb to poor outcomes. Therefore, he explains, “it is essential to uncover the sources of individual variation in the ways promising adolescents manage to flourish in the face of challenges.”

Profile: Brian Galla’s academic journey has been a long and fruitful one.  It started in the snowbelt in his home town in northwestern Pennsylvania on the shores of Lake Erie where the young man shined in the classroom.  First stop after high school was the Golden Dome of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana where Brian double-majored in film and biology.  It was then back to the East and a master’s program in communications at the famed Newhouse School at Syracuse University.  But something happened along the way...Brian discovered it was not news or films he wanted to produce, or even to do research in a biology lab...Brian realized he wanted to help mold minds and become a teacher.  That’s where things for this kind-hearted young man stand at the moment as he works to complete work for his doctoral degree at UCLA (he earlier earned an M.A. in education there).   In between his time in Syracuse and his California academic adventure, Brian went back home and served as a substitute teacher, and then was accepted to the AmeriCorps National Service Program where he taught underprivileged youngsters in North Carolina.  He’s also recently become engaged, so coupled with the award from the Foundation, this is indeed a happy time for the young Pennsylvanian.  

Inspiration: Two individuals – one an undergraduate professor and the other, a mentor he met while service with AmeriCorps can share credit for helping Brian find his career path.  The first, Notre Dame film professor Jill Godmilow was Brian’s film thesis mentor. “She showed me how to commit wholeheartedly to the process of learning a craft, and about the passion, persistence, and courage required.”  The other, Don McNair, was Brian’s mentor in North Carolina who “showed me how to live morally, consciously, and how to trust my own intuitions in the face of fear and the unknown.” 

Academic/Career Pursuits:  Brian’s goal is to pursue a career as a university professor and researcher. 

Making a Difference: While an AmeriCorps volunteer in Asheville, North Carolina, Brian honed his teaching skills while mentoring underprivileged middle and high school youth. “Those years of service and teaching really solidified my passion for education and youth mental health, and led me to pursue a PhD in Educational Psychology at UCLA.” 

Accolades: Brian’s list of awards, scholarships, presentation papers, research appointments and grants fills several pages of his CV.  To name just a few of his awards, Brian was awarded the UCLA School of Education Fellowship for 2007-2009 and won eight other grants/awards from that same university.  Earlier he had won awards for films he had produced at Syracuse University and was also awarded the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award.

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