Biology, Identity & Opportunity Study

This study will implement an intervention designed to promote ethnic and racial identity development. It is hypothesized that the intervention will have positive effects on ethnic-racial identity development, stress biology (including sleep hours and quality and diurnal cortisol profiles), emotional well-being, executive functioning, and academic outcomes, particularly for minority youth.

Inclusion Criteria: -Three hundred students will be recruited through announcements and presentations in required, non-tracked 9th grade classes at 3 mid-sized, diverse, suburban high schools, through flyers posted around the school, and through e-mails sent and presentations made to students and parent groups. Exclusion Criteria: * The presence of an endocrine disorder or use of corticosteroid based medications. * Youth who are unable to read in English will be excluded because materials will solely be available in English. * The study will not include students who do not provide parental consent. * The study will not include students who do not provide their own assent * The study will not include pregnant students in this study.