Where is your hometown?

My hometown is Sherman, Texas.

Where did you obtain your bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and what were your major(s)? 

My bachelors and master’s degree are in clinical psychology. Both of my degrees are from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

What first interested you in counseling psychology? 

The holistic and straight-based approach to treating psychopathology. I firmly believe in a developmental, existential, and biopsychosocial approach to helping human beings live better lives.

Why did you choose Ball State? 

I knew that Ball State was the University for me when I was walking to my rental after the interview process was over. I had another offer at a different program and two other interviews lined up, but as I walked toward my car, my gut kept telling me this was it. A week and half later, I received an offer to pursue my PhD in counseling psychology at Ball State and the rest is history. I believe that what really sold me on Ball State was the faculty and the graduate students. It’s the people that make the place, not the other way around.

What do you think of your experience at Ball State as a Doctoral student so far?

It’s definitely not for the faint of heart! It is challenging but I love what I am studying. I love to learn, I’m what I like to call a hyper-nerd, so being immersed in what you love doesn’t feel like work most of the time. So, Mark Twain was right.

What are your research interests?

My research interests are in vocational psychology with an emphasis in the intersections on how parental influence, structural barriers, and political climate affect Hispanic students’ vocational aspirations.

What are your future plans and career goals?

I would like to be a training director at a counseling psychology program to teach courses in personality, assessment, and vocational psychology.

What are a few of your favorite hobbies? 

I love to work out, I work out five or six days a week. I love to read books from 20th century psychologists. I also tend to go down deep rabbit holes on YouTube, and I end up watching someone that I find interesting for two or three months before I move on to the next character.

What is your favorite fall scent?

Any kind of burning wood, I just love the smell.

What’s your #1 recommendation show, movie, podcast, or book?

I’m really not much of a show person, but the only series that I have watched completely is The Walking Dead; movie, Man on Fire; and book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl.

If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be and why?

I would be a sweet potato. They’re rather ambiguous as a vegetable and hardy.

How do you practice self-care?

I work out often, eat healthy food, and maintain a healthy level of perspective. I often tell myself, “It could always be so much worse.”