A Full-Circle Moment
Assistant Professor Yessica Green Rosas Returns to her Alma Mater
When Yessica Green Rosas ’19, PhD, returned to the University of San Diego, she stepped back onto a campus that had shaped her long before she joined its faculty. As an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, teaching Abnormal Psychology and the Advanced Research Methods Clinical Capstone, Green Rosas frequently reflects on her years as a first-generation student on campus.
She describes her undergraduate experience at USD as foundational to her professional path. “Where I am today has been greatly shaped by the incredible mentorship that I received as an undergraduate student at USD, including the enormous support that the McNair Scholars Program provided during that time,” she says. “McNair is a federally funded program dedicated to serving high-achieving undergraduate students interested in pursuing a PhD or research-intensive graduate degree.”
The program transformed what once seemed impossible.
“I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without the support of McNair,” she says. “I know it sounds cheesy, but as a first-generation college student, the idea of applying, being accepted into, and successfully completing a PhD program felt like a faraway dream. This program, along with my wonderful undergrad research mentor, helped guide and prepare me to make this dream a reality, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”
As a research assistant with McNair, she worked on a study examining a personalized version of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for culturally diverse families. “This experience allowed me to see that it was possible to contribute to the advancement of mental health equity through one’s research,” she shares, “and inspired me to pursue a career that would allow me to continue this line of work.”
One aspect she is most eager about in joining the faculty at USD is advising and mentoring students who are thinking ahead to graduate school or careers in psychology.
“I am incredibly excited to provide individualized advising support for students thinking about next steps in their academic careers,” she says. “I find tremendous joy in hearing about students’ interests and in sharing insights regarding the various paths that can be taken when pursuing a career in psychology.”
For her, these interactions matter deeply. “I find that these conversations often pave the way for students to engage in genuine exploration of their hopes and callings, and I am incredibly excited to continue these fruitful conversations and forms of support.”
Green Rosas sees her courses as opportunities to help students connect academic learning with personal and real-world contexts. “I envision my course curriculum contributing to USD students’ academic and personal growth by actively engaging students in reflective practice while learning course material, emphasizing real-world implications of psychological theories and practice and the importance of viewing course concepts through a multicultural lens,” she explains.
Green Rosas’ scholarship continues the work that first inspired her as an undergraduate.
“I am currently working on two distinct projects — both of which aim to leverage dissemination and implementation science to support mental health equity in community mental health care settings,” she says.
The first project focused on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and the model developed by her former mentors.
“The first study aims to expand on Drs. McCabe and Yeh’s work creating a personalized version of PCIT for culturally diverse families (MY PCIT) and is in collaboration with previous research mentors currently affiliated with USD, San Diego State University and CSU Channel Islands.”
In her other research, Green Rosas is teaming up with community organizations. “For the second project, I will be working with community partners to improve community access and engagement of mental health supports.”
As Green Rosas steps into her role as a faculty member, she carries with her the very experiences that once shaped her as a USD undergraduate. Her journey — from a first-generation student questioning whether a PhD was possible to a professor dedicated to mentoring the next generation — reflects the transformative power of support, representation and possibility cultivated in the college.
— Emma Pirhala