A passion for language and mental health come together

Serving disadvantaged communities is something many Berry students are passionate about.  That’s why Abby Newman (class of 2018) is headed to graduate school to pursue a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. Afterwards, she hopes to be a mental health counselor and advocate for Hispanic and Latino immigrants. During her undergraduate time, Abby was the student director and teacher for Berry's English as a Second Language Program, which provides free English classes to Hispanic adults. She was also a part of the Ralph George Scholarship program which allowed her to conduct research about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in native Spanish speakers learning English. She then presented her research at the annual conference for the Association for Psychological Science in San Francisco. Abby's Spanish instructor and academic advisor, Dr. David Slade (class of 1997), has greatly influenced her with his passion for language and culture. "In every class I have taken with him and in the study abroad trip to Guanacaste, Costa Rica, he imparts his knowledge, wisdom, empathy, and cultural humility to his students and to everyone he encounters."

Story by Saif Sarfani (18C)