B
rilliant minds with a genuine desire to contribute are needed to help address society’s urgent problems. Seeking to encourage those who have demonstrated the interest and potential to help change lives, Albizu University, in conjunction with the James and Barbara Cimino Foundation, distinguished two students who focus their efforts on fighting the problem of substance abuse.
“This scholarship is a great support to continue my studies and work with this population”
The students Jennifer Delgado and Pablo Cabral, doctoral candidates from the Clinical Psychology Program, were awarded a $5,000 scholarship each as an incentive to continue with their research and community labor. With this distinction, the institutions support and motivate new professionals who have an interest and plans to work with communities where there is a high incidence of problematic substance use in Puerto Rico.
Student Jennifer Delgado, who was raised in Aguadilla and is completing her third year of doctoral studies, wants to create a network of organizations where people and entities serving populations with substance use problems can work collaboratively. Even before beginning her college education, she was inspired by the desire to contribute professionally to address this situation. “I began to study this problem in my high school years, and I was able to understand that problematic substance use is not an individual issue or a moral failure, but rather it is a social situation and a condition that affects the brain and must be treated like any other chronic disease. The stigma surrounding this issue sparked in me an interest in helping patients be treated and respected in the same way that other people with severe health conditions should be treated,” said the future doctor in psychology.
In his fifth year of the Clinical Psychology doctoral program, Pablo Cabral aspires to use his knowledge and experience to offer innovative and effective services for people with substance problems. The future psychologist, born and raised in San Juan, has a special interest in certain populations who are prone to high substance use. He is also interested in the process of reviewing regulations, such as the possible reclassification of substances known as psychedelics. He is currently working on research that explores how certain psychedelics can be used to improve the quality of life of people with problematic substance use.
“This scholarship is a great support to continue my studies and work with this population. I believe in the possibility of assisting people to cope with their suffering, and I think that service systems need reform to help people see the power they have within their situation,” explained the aspiring doctor in psychology. He is convinced that receiving this scholarship will allow him to dedicate more time to his research and his internship with the Iniciativa Comunitaria Foundation, which provides services to homeless people.
This special scholarship was awarded for the first time in 2023, thanks to a special donation from the James and Barbara Cimino Foundation, an entity whose purposes include supporting education, environmental protection, and efforts to improve the quality of life in the community. Its support for Albizu University seeks to promote the development of professionals who want to contribute with solutions to the substance abuse problems on the island.
The donation was part of an endowment fund from which financial aid is allocated to support outstanding students for their academic work and their vision of their professional future. The scholarships are aimed at students in Puerto Rico close to completing doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology who want to dedicate themselves to working with vulnerable local communities or those affected by problematic substance use in the island. In this way, Albizu University seeks to foster a love of service and opportunities to help the community’s well-being, which is part of its institutional vision.
