Correale was the highest-scoring recipient of the CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, granted to 23 students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need. As the top awardee, she will receive a $12,000 scholarship.
A San Pedro, Calif. native, Correale overcame a toxic and abusive childhood to be the first in her family to graduate from college. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology from HSU in 2013, she went on to pursue a master’s degree in developmental psychopathology.
“Education gave me an avenue for healing because it connected me to a larger support system of teachers who encouraged me and believed in my potential,” said Correale.
“When I found out I was selected as the 2014 scholar and would receive a generous scholarship to help fund my graduate education, I was filled with gratitude to the many people throughout my life who have always supported me,” Correale said. “It was also validation that working hard pays off.”
Correale’s master’s thesis examines adult romantic relationships and their potential to either amplify or diminish the mental health effects of early childhood abuse experiences. Her project is one of a handful to utilize a sample of both heterosexual and same-sex couples.
Outside of class, Correale has volunteered with at-risk youth at the Humboldt County Office of Education and has worked as a student assistant in HSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services. She’s also served as a teaching assistant for two classes—Family Relations and Family Violence—where she lectured on the neurobiology of love relationships and the intersections of multiple forms of family violence.
After graduation, Correale plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology or Human Development and Family Studies and become a university professor. She plans to advocate for increased access to mental health services and community support, especially for struggling and low-income families and children.
“My goal is to be the best person I can be, so I can eventually pursue a career that allows me to give back to others,” Correale said.