Rita M. Rivera, MS, is presented with a Presidential Citation for her leadership in developing early career and graduate student leaders across several APA divisions and her extensive efforts in advocating for underserved and minoritized students.
Rivera is a clinical psychology resident at Duke University and is pursuing a PsyD with a concentration in neuropsychology at Albizu University. She holds certifications from the International Association of Trauma Professionals and the American Association of Suicidology. Rivera’s educational and research interest are centered on underserved communities.
Over the past two years, Rivera has developed several research initiatives centered on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of college students and trainees from underserved and minoritized groups. She has facilitated pro bono psychotherapy groups with Central American college populations in Honduras, with the majority of individuals served coming from Latinx, LGBTQ+, and low socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, due to the lack of access to psychological and mental health resources in Honduras, she translated evidenced-based psychological resources and tools into Spanish and disseminated them throughout the nation. She also gave several international professional presentations focusing on the importance of adapting clinical models for ethnic and racial minorities.
Currently, Rivera serves as a student representative for several APA Divisions, including Divisions 1, 12, 38, 40, 45, 49, and 52. She is a recipient of the Convention Student Award from Division 1, the APA Convention Funding Award from Division 17, the A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert Distinguished Student Service Award from Division 42, the Conference Student Scholarship and the Hope Fund Award from Division 45, the Convention Student Scholarship and the Anastasi Advanced Graduate Student Award from Division 52, and the International Student Researcher Stipend Award from Division 56.