Mercedes Fernández Oromendia of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School has been awarded the 2016 Stephen C. Rose Scholarship from the National Latina/o Psychological Association. Latina/o youth confront a number of social, health, and psychological difficulties, including racism, discrimination, and poverty that negatively impacts the emotional well-being and increases the need for mental health services. The Stephen C. Rose scholarship aim is two-fold: 1) to promote Latina/o scholars; and 2) to advance the research in the psychosocial factors that negatively impact youth and young adults of color, increase understanding of barriers to success, and promote resiliency.
Mercedes Fernández Oromendia is a fifth year counseling doctoral student working with Dr. Collie Conoley in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Minnesota where she discovered her love for identity research and psychology as a whole; she also took psychology courses in Brazil. Her own migration story as well as her time spent living abroad has greatly influenced her current research interests in bicultural identity development, and strengths-based approaches for counseling immigrant clients. She is also committed to becoming a culturally sensitive bilingual therapist and promoting cultural sensitivity in the field.