The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem Class of 2003 ● Skidmore College Class of 2007 ● Program Manager, NYU Office of the Provost; and Licensed Psychotherapist
My relationship with my director of college counseling (DCC) remains one of great importance to me; he is the reason why I attended Skidmore College.
My DCC understood my needs and where I would thrive the most and while I had other ideas, I am grateful for his patience and guidance as I ended up exactly where I needed to be and I had the most enriching college experience. He was like a father figure who could connect with me like a brother sharing his insight in a way that was supportive and empathetic.
College was a bit of a culture shock for me…I encourage students facing this experience to seek out opportunities to inform change where able and to take a moment to identify what the shock is then develop a personal plan to face it head on.
I attended Skidmore College and double majored in psychology and women’s studies. I always knew I would study psychology as I envisioned a career as a therapist. I had great guidance counselors and have always been fascinated by human behavior. I took a women’s studies course while at TYWLS and decided to pursue that as a second major while at Skidmore. Women’s Studies was interdisciplinary and I was able to tap into sociology, literature, science, and the arts.
An internship at the Saratoga Center for Children and Families solidified my interest in pursuing psychotherapy as a profession. I worked with children healing from sexual abuse and families trying to support their abused children. It was impactful for me as I was able to reach clients at different stages of life through psychotherapy with both individual and group sessions. My internship allowed me to explore the complexities of trauma and abuse and its impact on child development. I earned my MSW from the NYU Silver School of Social Work and am licensed to practice psychotherapy in New York State with specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and TEAM-CBT.
College was a bit of a culture shock for me. I grew up in New York City and went to school with diversity of all kinds. When I went to college, I was often the only student of color in the classroom space and had to adjust to the dynamics of students never having had class with a person of color while engaging in conversations that centered the need for diversity.
From this shock, I was able to sit on the executive boards of several student-run clubs and create programs and experiences for the student body to engage with one another to learn about culture, challenge misconceptions, and eventually increase diversity across the campus and supports for students recruited. I encourage students facing and managing this experience to seek out opportunities to inform change where able and to take a moment to identify what the shock is then develop a personal plan to face it head on. My four years at college included creating new culture clubs and curating social experiences that allowed for dialogue and understanding, which helped me work through the shock and discomfort of being the only person of color in the room. When I graduated, diversity had increased greatly.
I now work full-time at NYU in the office of the provost curating faculty development programs and initiatives serving faculty across all schools and global sites, centers, and institutes. I am currently a licensed psychotherapist in New York and I practice part-time with a focus on trauma, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.