Psychology major Garrett Ennis has been awarded a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholarship! The Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholarship Program is designed to increase the pool of potential California State University faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of CSU students who have experienced economic and educational disadvantages.
Garret is a member of the McNair Scholar's Program, which prepares high-achieving undergraduate students for admission into graduate schools to pursue advanced degrees. For his McNair Scholar research project, which is being conducted under the guidance of faculty mentor Professor of Counseling Dr. Adam Zagelbaum, Garrett is developing a trauma curriculum for San Quentin State prison. Garrett chose this project because of his own personal experiences that led to a period of severe mental health issues and addiction, which eventually resulting in incarceration due to DUI and other risky behavior. While Garrett is eternally grateful he didn’t hurt anyone during those episodes, spending time in jail made him confront a lot of demons from my past. Despite wanting to work through this experience, or seek counseling or guidance for how to begin the process of putting the pieces of his life back together, he was never provided any resources while incarcerated which facilitated or even encouraged reformation, recovery, or healing. After he regained his freedom he sought help through therapy, counseling, and rehab and has rediscovered stability and peace. Garrett's goal with this project is to develop a curriculum that can help incarcerated individuals confront the adverse experiences which linger and cast shadows over them so that they can learn to be healthy, adaptive, and whole human beings capable of living meaningful lives and integrate successfully into the community. In addition to Professor Zagelbaum, Garrett is thankful to Dr. Daniel Malpica, Stacey Pelton, and Dr. Talmedge Wright for their support and guidance.
Garret was recently accepted into the Leadership Alliance Summer Research - Early Identification Program (SR-EIP), and will be spending the summer working in the Stress and Early Adversity (SEA) Lab at Vanderbilt University under Dr. Kathryn Humphries and Dr. Virginia Salo. After he graduates in Spring 2022, Garrett plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology to study the effects of stress and adversity on the psychological development of children and adolescents and interventions which can prevent negative experiences from leading to the formation of mental health problems later in life.
The Psychology major has TWO Sally Casanova Scholars this year! Read about Amish Patel...