Rachel Candelaria

What I was doing before RWU:

I was getting my bachelor's degrees at the University of Northern Colorado in Psychology and Criminology/Criminal Justice. I was on my college dance team, waitressing full-time at a family-owned diner, and doing my internship at a county jail.

My future plans:

Upon graduation from this program, I plan on working in the correctional and hospital setting until I am ready to pursue my doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology. My end goal is to be a mental health counselor in jails and prisons.

My favorite parts of my student experience at RWU:

My favorite part of being a student at RWU is that I am surrounded by a variety of different people. I get to work and take classes with people of all different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, experience, and interests. These variabilities allow me to learn different perspectives, which ultimately only makes me a more well-rounded person and mental health clinician.

Best advice for students planning to go to graduate school:

The best advice I can give for students planning to go to graduate school is related to time management and understanding your priorities. It is easy to get wrapped up in things throughout life, but if you want to be successful as a graduate student, it is important that you can manage your time well and make school and working your top priorities.

Favorite things to do in the area:

I love to go to different beaches and restaurants like The Tipsy Seagull in Fall River, MA!

Rachel wrote a blog post about her experience in the Forensic Mental Health Counseling program and was interviewed for an episode of our podcast, RWUGradCast.

Did you know?

Rachel is a co-author on a research article entitled, Identifying the Impact of Incarceration on Parenting: An Examination of Incarcerated Parents' Perceptions in the “Reading for a Change” Program in Colorado. The article appeared in volume 102, issue 5 of The Prison Journal. 

Read it here