2023-2024: Ashley Applewhite

 

Ashley Applewhite is an incoming first-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student from Long Beach, California. She graduated from the University of Southern California with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in the Fall of 2020. Upon graduation, Ashley received the Order of the Laurel and the Palm award for her leadership and commitment to service at the University demonstrated by her commitment to research, involvement in the Black Student Assembly, and leadership as President of her sorority’s chapter.

Following graduation, Ashley worked at a partial hospitalization program for adolescents, where she gained experience in a clinical setting with her primary population of interest. She is passionate about Black and minority mental health and is dedicated to a career centered on improving cultural competence in research and practice as well as increasing mental health care accessibility to underserved populations. As a student in the Clinical Psychology program at William James College, Ashley looks forward to serving her community in the greater Boston area through therapeutic practices and community service initiatives. Ashley’s commitment to service is demonstrated from her past leadership in food and book drives as well as raising funds for the Boys and Girls Club Los Angeles in the 2023 Los Angeles Charity Half Marathon.

When asked what it means to have been selected as a recipient of the Serving the Underserved Scholarship, Ashley shares:

Ashley’s short-term professional goals include becoming a licensed clinical psychologist for children, adolescents, and families to advocate for youth from minority backgrounds. Her long-term goals include taking on leadership, mentorship, and supervisory roles in academic and clinical settings to promote culturally competent clinical practices.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys musical theater, distance running, and spending time with her family and friends.