TAMIU Grad Student Accepted to Doctoral Program at A&M, Earns Fellowship

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) graduate Aileen Terrazas has recently been accepted to Texas A&M University’s Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology program.

A Laredo native, Terrazas is also the recipient of a Graduate Diversity Fellowship. She decided to pursue her studies in Counseling Psychology to someday help her community offer essential mental health services.

“I want to be able to give back to the community and to the University that has helped to shape who I am as an individual. Without the experiences I have lived in my hometown and TAMIU, I would not be where I am today,” Terrazas explained.

As a doctoral student, Terrazas hopes to develop her counseling skills and focus on research affecting LGBT minorities within the Latino population, as well as immigrant children, adolescents and their families. 

“For the past two years, I have been providing counseling services to immigrant children and adolescents in the Rio Grande Valley. My experience during this time has motivated me to continue working on being an advocate for immigrant children, and to assist in creating programs that can help their well-being,” said Terrazas.

Throughout her time as a student, Terrazas was appreciative of her fellow MACP cohort peers who helped challenge each other.

“It’s great to have a group of people who can understand your challenges and who also push each other to become better. It has been two years since I graduated with my Master’s degree, and after interacting with others in the field, I can honestly say that our program is one of the best in preparing you with the knowledge needed to succeed in the mental health field,” said Terrazas.

Several faculty members made a profound difference during her time in the MACP program and at the University, including Dr. Claudia San Miguel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Drs. Ediza García and Elizabeth Terrazas-Carrillo, assistant professors of Counseling Psychology, respectively.

“Dr. García and Dr. Terrazas-Carrillo recently began teaching at the MACP program when I was accepted. They are truly brilliant and amazing professors. They shaped our program into something spectacular. They truly want to make their students the best that they can be.  There were times that I didn't believe in myself, but they did and kept pushing me forward,” said Terrazas.  

Terrazas continued, “I first met Dr. San Miguel during my undergraduate career when I worked at the Department of Social Sciences and she became a great mentor to me. Dr. San Miguel pushed me into being a leader and gave me opportunities to develop myself, both as an individual and a professional.”

Upon the completion of her studies, she hopes to return to Laredo and build a mental health clinic to help expand services in Laredo.

“I would like to do it in conjunction with the University that helped to shape me. It would help expand and give further growth to the University’s MACP program, as well,” said Terrazas.

Individuals interested in pursuing a graduate studies program in Counseling Psychology can contact Dr. García via email at ediza.garcia@tamiu.eduor visit https://www.tamiu.edu/coas/psy/mastercounpsy/index.shtml.

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