# The Team
Our team brings together researchers, educators, graduate students, and undergraduate students to rethink how we teach human flourishing.
This is our current team that shapes future Human Flourishing experiences.
## Blake Colaianne, PhD | Director
Dr. Blake Colaianne is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. His research interests include adolescent development and human flourishing, with a particular focus on how mindfulness, compassion, and social connection support well-being. As an applied researcher, he has developed and evaluated evidence-based curriculum for high school students, undergraduate students, and K-12 teachers.
Blake was recently named a 2026 CASEL Weissberg Scholar. His research has been supported by the Grable Foundation and Mental Research Institute, and he was awarded the 2023 Samuel B. Hanser Visionary Grant from the Mind & Life Institute.
Blake received his BS in secondary education from Juniata College, MEd from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and PhD from Penn State. He began his career as a high school science teacher at Dallastown Area School District.
## Elise Mitchell | Research Coordinator
Elise is the Research Coordinator for the Learn to Flourish Design Hub, serving a central role in bringing the Hub's ideas to life. Elise helps develop, refine, and organize the Hub's research projects while supporting the team across a variety of initiatives. As a recent Penn State graduate, she brings a firsthand understanding of the undergraduate experience.
With a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from Penn State and an A.S. in Biological Sciences from HACC, her interdisciplinary background has shaped her interest in understanding how culture and the world around us influence our behavior and health. Elise is passionate about supporting young adult well-being and helping students build the tools they need to flourish, especially at a time when loneliness and other mental health challenges are so prevalent.
## Raymond Falcone | Graduate Student
Raymond is a 2nd year graduate Student pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies with a dual title in Social and Behavioral Neuroscience.
Raymond's research seeks to identify trainable capacities of well-being specific to emerging adulthood that promote flourishing and improve mental performance. His work aims to understand how the neurobiological and psychosocial characteristics of emerging adulthood interact to create a powerful window for cultivating human flourishing.
## Undergraduate Student Bios
### Aaliyah Viera '29
**Project Team:** Student Outreach Lead
**Flourishing Focus:** General College Students
**Major:** Human Development & Family Studies
*"**Learning to flourish** is the continual and transformational process of understanding ourselves and others."*
### Ameila Griggs '27
**Project Team:** Mindfulness Meets Self-Determination Theory
**Flourishing Focus:** General College Students
**Major:** Psychology & Sociology
*"**Learning to flourish** for me, has been the realization that life doesn't have to be perfect in order to feel meaningful."*
### Efstasia Karahalios '28
**Project Team: **Flourishing and Teaming
**Flourishing Focus:** Engineering/Business Students
**Major:** Communication Sciences & Disorders
***"Learning to flourish **is the constant journey of learning how to intuitively navigate whatever life may throw your way."*
### Emma Durant '27
**Project Team: **Flourishing and Teaming
**Flourishing Focus: **Engineering/Business Students
**Major: **Biotechnology (Ethics minor)
***"Learning to flourish** by staying curious, appreciating life's beauty, staying present, recognizing how our connections shape us, and helping others build the tools they need to grow, thrive, and find meaning together."*
### Erik Borgia '27
**Project Teams: **Conversations on Purpose; Train to Flourish
**Flourishing Focus: **General College Students; Student Athletes
**Major: **Psychology
***"Learning to flourish **has completely changed my college experience and assisted me in recovering from a major injury.**"***
### Greer Moran '27
**Project Team: **Mindfulness Meets Self-Determination Theory
**Flourishing Focus:** General College Students
**Major: **Applied Statistics
***"Learning to flourish** means that you and I appreciate every choice we've made in this world."*
### Jacob Buron '29
**Project Team: **Mindfulness Meets Self-Determination Theory
**Flourishing Focus: **General College Students
**Major: **Business Management
***"Learning to flourish **does not mean to learn to be perfect or even happy, for it is about learning and teaching others how to grow from an imperfect world."*
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### Kyle Woodward '27
**Project Teams: **Conversations on Purpose; Train to Flourish
**Flourishing Focus: **General College Students; Student Athletes
**Major: **Psychology
***"Learning to flourish **can change someone's life." *
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### Nicholas Whitcomb '28
**Project Team: **Flourishing and Teaming
**Flourishing Focus: **Engineering/Business Students
**Major: **Mechanical Engineering
***"Learning to flourish** by remembering where I've been, staying grounded in where I am, growing through adversity, and recognizing the connections that make us perfectly human."*
### Sadie Williams '30
**Project Team: **Conversations on Purpose
**Flourishing Focus: **General College Students
**Major: **Architectural Engineering
***"Learning to flourish **is helping me grow into a more genuine and generous version of myself."*
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