Yaquelin Montes de Oca
"Specialized education improves quality of service."
College: Social Work
Degree Program: Social Work and Criminology
Degree: Master's
Award: Amherst Memorial Fellowship (2021)
Why FSU?
I chose FSU because it offered the opportunity to combine my interests in social work within criminal justice settings. The work by the Institute for Justice Research and Development (IJRD) also highlighted the great work FSU does in this realm.
Motivation to pursue a graduate degree
The importance of mental health motivates me to obtain a degree where I can provide clinical counseling to those who seek it.
Importance and impact of research
Providing mental health services to individuals who are incarcerated is one step towards truly making their period of incarceration rehabilitative.
Advice for prospective graduate students
There is no timeline for when you should attend graduate school. Explore why you want to attend, and apply when you are ready.
Career aspirations
I would like to expand the programming of trauma-informed and trauma-responsive services to individual who are incarcerated and reentering society.