Bruno Ache Akua headshot
Bruno Ache Akua
Ph.D. Student, HDFS

 

Education
M.Ed. Educational Psychology

Research interests
• Adolescent and young adulthood development
• Alcohol and substance use
• Externalizing and internalizing behaviors
• Individual differences
• Personality and individual differences
• Risk and protective factors
• Urgency and resilience factors
Courses taught
HDFS 2040: Analytics in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
HDFS 2010: Lifespan Human Development in the Family Context
HDFS 3030: Adolescent Development in the Family Context

Research projects
• Combined use of alcohol and cannabis: Patterns, predictors, consequences, and mechanisms of change.
• The developmental unfolding of substance use disorder symptoms and academic achievement in the transition into and out of   college.
• Predictors of persistent alcohol use disorder and co‐occurring depressive symptoms: Insights from the longitudinal college experiences study.
• Predictors and consequences of alcohol and marijuana co-use (vs. alcohol use only) in college.
• Antecedents and consequences of problematic alcohol and cannabis use in college.
• Explaining the associations between microaggressions, perceptions of campus climate, and mental health outcomes for first-year college students of color: The role of stress, sleep, and academic burnout.

Accomplishments
• Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) 2021 Award for the best poster that informs policy research.
• First class honors and the award of the best master’s student of the Faculty of Education and the Department of Educational Psychology in 2018 at the University of Buea, Cameroon.
• First class honors and the award of the best undergraduate student of the Faculty of Education and the Department of Educational Psychology in 2015 at the University of Buea, Cameroon.

Fun Facts
Any lessons learned?
As a graduate student, I have learned that you cannot edit a blank slate, and the only way out is to go through it and that if you want to move forward, you must be willing to make mistakes and accept corrections. Most importantly, humility, perspective-taking, and active listening are not only necessary for academic success but also success in other areas of life.

Favorite books/movies?
My favorite book is “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe and my favorite movie is “The Woman King.”

Favorite quotes/sayings?
“The only limitations you have are the ones you have imposed upon yourself.”
“If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.”

Hobbies/hidden talents?
My favorite hobbies are playing soccer and watching the premier league.

Hero/someone you look up to?
Dr. Samek, my supervisor, inspires me. She is a good human being with a huge heart in addition to being an exceptional and well-seasoned mentor. Dr. Robert Ryan Bubb is also someone I admire. His straightforward demeanor and outstanding teaching abilities astound me.

What has surprised you about being a graduate student?
The brisk pace of graduate school has surprised me the most. One gets the impression that the tasks will never stop coming, implying that there will be little or no time to rest.

What advice would you offer to someone thinking about graduate school?
I would tell them that it is neither a crown of thorns nor a bed of roses. It is an incredible experience that requires a lot of effort.