PROFILE: Corissa Barrow awarded fellowship

Corissa Barrow, a student in the Family Therapy program (MFT), received the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Minority Fellowship. The fellowship is a grant awarded to minority graduate students in order to better serve minority populations. 

“This award certainly provides recognition for the substantial accomplishments of Ms. Barrow,” said Rick Short, dean of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities. “It also helps put the UHCL MFT program on the national radar. I’m very proud of Ms. Barrow and the MFT program for this recognition.”

Barrow, who grew up in a single mother household, recalls her childhood as tough. They did not have much and from a young age she remembers seeing the cycle of marginalization and its effects in the Latino population, like depression and substance abuse.

“That was really my driving force pushing through,” Barrow said. “But now that I’m here just being able to now be a role model to other first-generation college students. Those coming from a broken home or a home that wasn’t necessarily what they thought it was to be, and being able to be a role model to them and mentor or just show them that it is worth it and you are able to overcome whatever personal battles and monsters that you may be facing.”

“It has truly been a joy to watch her grow and develop,” said Matthew Brown, program director and associate professor of family therapy. “She is like a lot of us in that we can doubt ourselves and our abilities at times. The difference is that Corissa doesn’t shy away from those fears. She faces them head on, learns more about herself through the process, and ultimately reaches her goals. I’m really excited to see what the future holds for her.”

With her education, Barrow plans to work with young people in Latino and Black communities who are transitioning into adulthood.

Aside from the MFT program, Barrow is also involved as part of the executive board of two organizations at UHCL. She serves as the public relations officer for the Family Therapy Student Association (FTSA) and is the SGA representative of Delta Kappa.

FTSA is a student-led organization that was previously only for graduate students in the Family Therapy program, but it has since opened to undergraduate students as well. They aim to promote the MFT program, mental health and advocate for those who need it. Delta Kappa is the international society for FTSA.

“Her work ethic is really unmatched,” said Sarah Sepolio, president of FTSA and Delta Kappa. “We started with FTSA and decided we wanted to open or try to be a member of the international society which is Delta Kappa and she jumped right in. Her and I, mostly her, in the last two months have been able to get it fully running and have members and an induction ceremony. When she has a goal, she not only meets it, she surpasses it and without her in these two organizations I don’t think we would have been able to get half as much done.”

In her spare time, Barrow likes to meditate, do yoga, play video games and connect with friends through Zoom. She started meditating and doing yoga more because of COVID-19. She also considers herself an adequate snowboarder. She started snowboarding in ninth grade after going on annual trips to Colorado and New Mexico, and when visiting family in Utah. 

“That was hard especially trying to go through a program, especially still trying to maintain your normalcy, also trying to figure out what to do so I’ve been doing a lot of meditating and yoga to help alleviate some of that anxiety,” she explained.