The Central Coast Association of School Psychologists acknowledged UC Santa Barbara Ph.D. candidate Katherine Carnazzo as deserving of meritorious service for her work as a school psychologist intern at the Aliso, Summerland, Rincon, and Foothill Schools in the Carpinteria Unified School District (CUSD).
Her nomination letter said, “Katie has been an instrumental part of the success of Carpinteria High School District this year. Despite only being at the district two days a week, she managed to run a social skills group, do individual counseling, complete assessments when we had a psychologist resign unexpectedly, and assist other psychologists in the district with psycho-educational assessments and risk assessments She was a core support member at our alternative school that serves at-risk youth, many of whom have social-emotional needs. She demonstrated a high level of professionalism during many challenging situations. She is incredibly respectful to the professionals around her and inspires many with the power of positivity. We’re incredibly grateful to have had her support at CUSD and I know she’ll continue to be a selfless supporter and advocate for our families and students.”
Katherine Carnazzo will receive her doctorate this June from the Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology at UCSB’s Gevirtz School. She received her B.A. in Political Science and History at University of California, Davis and a Masters in Education at Harvard University, studying cognitive neurosicience and education. She currently works under Dr. Erin Dowdy. Her research interests include working with schools to determine the best practices in universal screening for social emotional well being at all stages of development – elementary, middle and high school age students.