The Community Conversations series continues with a focus on what’s next for students of color this fall. Are we experiencing a “new” normal or is this temporary? How are students defining this terminology and this extraordinary period? Are we over-emphasizing normal?
Many students of color have described this pandemic as one more challenge added to an existing array of challenges. Dr. Carlota Ocampo, provost at Trinity Washington University and Steve Fund board member, will moderate our next live webinar Thursday, May 21st at 3:00 pm EST. She will be joined by fellow advisors Dr. Carlton Green and Dr. David Rivera and Youth Advisory Board member Nia Dingle.
Whether temporary or a “new” normal, we know that there will be profound changes on campuses. Our panelists will share their insights on how best to prepare students, parents, and faculty and staff at colleges and universities for these changes. Working together, how can we support and position students of color for success in a time of unprecedented change?
Provost Carlota Ocampo oversees academic affairs, assessment, and planning at Trinity Washington University in Washington, DC. Her previous appointments included associate provost for academic assessment and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, where she directed academic advising and the first-year experience. Dr. Ocampo joined the Trinity community in 1997 as assistant professor of psychology and earned tenure and promotion to associate professor in 2003. She has also served as chair of psychology and of the human relations program.
Dr. Ocampo received her Ph.D. in neuropsychology from Howard University in 1997. Her teaching and research interests encompass interactions among diversity, oppression, and health. She has published on pedagogical reform with changing student populations, racist-incident based trauma, and ethnicity, gender and disease; her current research examines use of mobile health technologies with safety net populations. In 2014, she was appointed to the APA’s Board of Educational Affairs working group on national assessment for introductory psychology. She serves as a peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a member of the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology (LIWP) class of 2011. She enjoys promoting student-centered academic initiatives and culturally relevant health research.
Dr. Rivera is an associate professor of counselor education at Queens College, City University of New York. A counseling psychologist by training, his practical work in higher education includes college counseling, academic advising, multicultural affairs, and leadership development. Dr. Rivera’s research focuses on cultural competency development and issues impacting the marginalization and wellbeing of low-income/first-generation college students, people of color, and oppressed sexual orientation and gender identity groups, with a focus on microaggressions. Dr. Rivera is an adviser to The Steve Fund, faculty with the Council for Opportunity in Education, board co-chair of CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies, on the executive committee of The Society for the Psychological study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues, and on the American Psychological Association’s Committee for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Dr. Rivera holds degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Wyoming. He has worked and trained at a variety of institutions including the University of Pennsylvania, the New School University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and the Addiction Institute of New York. He has received multiple recognitions for his work from the American Psychological Association, the American College Counseling Association, and the American College Personnel Association.
Nia Dingle is currently in her senior year at Guilford College and will be graduating in May 2020. She is a double major in Psychology and African/African American Studies. Having lost her father to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001, Nia knows what overcoming adversity and trauma looks like. Nia believes that everyone deserves to have access to care and hopes to be a therapist once completing a Master’s in social work. Her interests are predominantly in mental health as it pertains to children/ adolescent youth, families, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Nia knows that intersectionality is key when talking about one’s mental health. Although, one of Nia’s passions is working to destigmatize mental health as it pertains to the African American community, she also hopes that there will grow to be better awareness of the realities of mental health prevalence overall, so that people won’t suffer in silence. Through Nia’s position on the Steve Fund Youth Advisory Board she hopes to gain more knowledge in her field of interest as well as make positive change in the way others view mental health and educate others on how they can make a difference.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Carlton Green has held various roles in higher education settings. More specifically, he has worked in student activities, multicultural services, residence life, academic affairs, athletics, and counseling services in both public andprivate institutions.
Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, and received masters-level training in Mental Health Counseling and Pastoral Ministry, from Boston College. Dr. Green’s dedication to diversity and inclusion facilitated his appointment as the Multicultural Post-doctoral Fellow in Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Houston.
Currently, Dr. Green is the Director of Diversity Training & Education (DTE) in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). DTE is the primary unit on campus tasked with addressing campus-wide diversity training and education. Prior to taking on this role, he served as a Staff Psychologist at the UMD Counseling Center for approximately 5 years. In 2016, he was recognized as a Diversity Scholar by the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies. Dr. Green has developed and presented workshops on diversity and inclusion, including how to address racial trauma at many universities and colleges in the DMV (Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia) area and nationally. He is a member of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. There, he is the President of the AGAPE Mental Health Ministry, which provides mental health counseling, outreach, and referrals to church members. Dr. Green is also an active member in the American Psychological Association. His contributions to the field earned him a Rising Star Award at the 2019 National Multicultural Conference & Summit. In 2019, the Maryland Psychological Association recognized Dr. Green with the Grady Dale Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity in Psychology.
The Steve Fund recognizes that these are challenging, unprecedented times. We are a resource for students, their families, faculty and administration, and our mental health partners. COVID-19 is no exception. Our new webinar series, Community Conversations, features members of the Steve Fund community sharing how they are navigating this “new normal.” We hope that their challenges, experiences and insights will inform and inspire you. You are not alone, and the Steve Fund is here to provide the support you need.
Our Mission: Promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color