Lauren Vega O’Neil, PhD, is an assistant professor of practice in the College of Education at PSU. She holds a BS in biology from Saint Mary’s College, earned an MEd in elementary education from the University of Notre Dame, and trudged through a PhD in cognitive developmental psychology at the University of Oregon.
Dr. Vega O’Neil has studied brain systems important for language, attention, and learning, and has supported teachers on implementing evidence-based programs that promote social, cognitive, and affective competence in early & middle childhood. She specializes in self-regulation, social and emotional development and culturally-sustaining practices for both children and adults. As a Chicana educator of over 20 years, Dr. Vega O'Neil has supported families from lower socioeconomic households and communities of color in both research and teaching.
For the first decade of her career Dr. Vega O’Neil was an elementary teacher and, briefly, a middle school teacher. She has extensive experience working with linguistically diverse students having taught in Costa Rica, Chile and the United States. At PSU, Dr. Vega O'Neil primarily works in the Bilingual Teacher Pathway (BTP) and Licensure in Elementary Education Programs (LEEP) teaching a variety of courses on curriculum design and assessment, literacy/biliteracy, ESOL, child development, social and emotional development, and culturally-sustaining pedagogy.