School of Social Work

Reem Shawkat is a second-year doctoral student at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social work. Her research interests focus on how identity development and social networks impact well-being among emerging adults.

Reem graduated cum laude from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in psychology in May 2017. To further develop her research skills, she joined the applied developmental psychology graduate program at George Mason University and earned her master’s in May 2020. As a research assistant in Dr. Olga Kornienko’s Peer Network and Development lab she was able to significantly improve her understanding of quantitative research processes and data analysis.

Outside of research Reem has a passion for community outreach and volunteering. She has worked with a number of organizations in the Sudanese diaspora and dreams of founding her own organization in the future.

Areas of interest

• Community-Based Participatory Research
• Family
• Immigrants and Refugees
• International Social Work and Global Issues
• Mental Health
• Race and Ethnicity

Education and credentials

M.A., psychology, George Mason University
B.S., psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

View Reem Shawkat's curriculum vitae.