Rutgers–Camden Graduate Champions Mental Health for Underserved Students
As a tutor, paraprofessional, and an educational behavioral therapist, Army National Guard veteran and Rutgers–Camden student Andrea Sellers CCAS'23 has immersed herself in the education field. Yet, despite her extensive involvement in schools, she didn’t necessarily see herself on the path to becoming a teacher.
“I was working with occupational therapists and speech pathologists, seeing how all those roles overlap with each other, and how everybody works together in order for children to succeed,” Sellers said. “I then found my calling as a school psychologist. It's a collective, collaborative role, and I thought I would fit best in that.”
Now, as she graduates Rutgers–Camden with a master’s degree in psychology and prepares to apply for school psychology doctoral programs this fall, she will bring her lived experiences and personal challenges to a role that she hopes will establish connections with future students.
Raised in Edison, N.J., among a family of military veterans, Sellers chose to serve her country directly out of high school. She shipped off to boot camp the summer after graduating in 2019, calling basic training a transformative experience.
“Basic training taught me to be very structured,” Sellers said. “It taught me patience. It taught me how to work as a team. When I was at rock bottom, I had others to pull me up, and whenever I didn't have other people, I only had myself.” The experience reminded her of summers she spent with her grandmother, whom she describes as stern, but who taught her self-reliance, resilience, and how to be a leader.
“I think that's what feeds into me wanting to be a school psychologist,” Sellers said. “I see a need in the community.”
Stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst for six years, Sellers served as a unit supply specialist, managing equipment and helping soldiers become acclimated with their units.
When her military benefits enabled her to attend an in-state university, Sellers enrolled at Rutgers–Camden as an undergraduate childhood studies and psychology major. During her senior year, she joined the lab of Tamara Nelson, assistant professor of psychology and director of the Resilience, Equity, and Community Mental Health Research Program. There, she studied how cultural pressures that affect Black women may impact the mental health support they receive. She presented on the topic at the Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (CURCA), her first research conference and a college highlight.
After completing her undergraduate degree in 2023, Sellers saw a continued path for herself at the university. “I applied to the graduate program,” she said. “I wanted to expand my research with Dr. Nelson and to be more immersed in what research looks like, because I had a late start. My advisor and I saw the value of what the program could do and wanted to broaden my horizons.”
While in the graduate psychology program, Sellers co-authored a paper, an expansion of her undergraduate work with Nelson, that was published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Disparities.
After one day earning her doctorate degree, Sellers hopes to see herself reflected in the school ecosystem, where Black professionals are often underrepresented.
“I want to change lives,” Sellers said. “Especially for children in unique situations, because I've been there, and I know they just need someone they feel comfortable with. I want to be someone who can help them navigate the stressors of life.”
