Mentor Directory 2018-2019

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1980s-90s as a young Black male challenged me to make a difference in not only my life—but in the lives of other men of color. Living with a single mother and an older brother, we moved often. Yet the one thing that was stable in my life was school. With my mother’s strong faith in God, she always made way. I was the first person in my family to pursue higher education, so I attended four community colleges and worked two part-time jobs to fulfill my general education requirements in two years. I then transferred to UC Santa Barbara, double majoring in Psychology and Black Studies. I then earned a MSW degree from USC, later receiving my doctorate in clinical psychology. If it were not for my mentors — who were role models and believed in me — I would not be where I am today. I strongly believe in having visible representation of men of color in higher academic settings. I am passionate about providing psychological and emotional justice for men of color.

I had my first-born when I was 17. I had to provide for my family, so I joined the Navy when I was 18 and did two deployments to the Gulf of Iraq. After five years, I was honorably discharged. It was difficult to transition from the military to civilian life — I dealt with post-traumatic stress, depression, homelessness, and ended up incarcerated. I ended up in places I never thought I’d end up and I thought I’d never make it back from that. But after everything I’ve been through, after all these years, I went back to school and got my bachelor’s in psychology. Now, I’m the manager of the residential program where I stayed when I was homeless. I’m working on my master’s of social work degree so that I can help others who have been or are going through what I’ve been through. I made it here, but I didn’t do it alone. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the guidance of my mentors.

As a first-generation college student at UC Irvine, I was placed on academic probation. Not once, but twice. I tried to ignore it, but more than anything, I was ashamed. I never told my parents out of fear of disappointing them, especially my mom. They had so much pride in their son that I did not want to crush their expectations of me. After I found my way and figured out how to successfully navigate the system, I graduated and felt so relieved that I did not let my parents down. But that was not enough. My goal was to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. The first and second time I applied, I was flat out rejected. Similar to undergrad, something inside me kept me going despite the obstacles and challenges. But I was never alone in this quest. The support and guidance from my family and mentors was instrumental to my perseverance. I earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA in 2013, which was something I could have never imagined while on academic probation. But I made it here, and I belong.