I am Averi Cooke! I am currently a graduate student at Old Dominion pursuing a Masters of Science in Education for Secondary Education. My undergraduate degree is in English from James Madison University. For a while I thought the work that I wanted to do was in education, because when I was a teen I started “acting” out, and if not for the help of my teachers I would have gone down a dangerous path. Consequently, I believed I wanted to be that teacher for future generations that mine were for me. However, upon getting into the program I realized that it was not the actual “teaching” that I wanted to do, but more so counseling/mental health support. Further research into the different careers of mental health professionals brought me to psychology. It is my goal to work with minoritized socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents and young adults who have experienced trauma. To be considered for a Psychology Masters/Psyd program I must first take some coursework in psychology. I chose this class as my first because I believe our social presence plays a large role in how people experience and deal with trauma.  

I currently work at Newport News Shipbuilding as a Planner, and have been there for a little over a year. Before the Shipyard I was the Scholarship Coordinator at Hampton University for a bit over a year. I was born and raised in the Southeast End of Newport News, VA, and I currently live in Hampton. My overarching career/life goal is to buy an RV and travel to different at-risk areas of the country for a two year time period at a time to provide trauma counseling. I look forward to learning from Professor Younkin, and with all of my classmates this semester.