NSU Horizons Spring 2017

43 NSU HORIZONS I Florida Association of School Psychologists (FASP) since 2000, serving in a variety of roles focusing primarily on training and education. Mentoring students is the top priority for Valley-Gray, followed by program development and her work at the state and national level for school psychology. Among her accomplishments, she is particularly proud of leading the creation of a standardized internship process for school psychology students across the state of Florida. “I work very closely with my students,” she said. “I get to know them so that I can identify opportunities, which will support their professional growth. I connect some of my current students with former students to help them prepare and compete for internships and postdoctoral residencies. It has been extremely rewarding when former students share how working on various projects has helped them to advance their careers.” Several of Valley-Gray’s students, such as fourth-year doctoral student Michelle Brenes, worked with her as well as with other school psychology faculty members, to obtain first-time accreditation of the school psychology doctoral program by the American Psychological Association (APA). “The first task she gave me was to assist her in the process of organizing and preparing all of the documents for APA accreditation,” Brenes said. “This was a large task; however, it helped me develop my planning and organizational skills and develop leadership in collecting and organizing all of the documents needed. Completing this task made all other tasks look possible.” “She [Dr. Valley-Gray] is always thinking about her students and their interests when opportunities come up because she cares about their professional growth,” Brenes said. “She goes above and beyond to help her students.” Doctoral student Stefany Marcus said Valley-Gray helped her organize, research, and prepare a study on bariatric surgery for children and adolescents that Marcus presented at the 2016 convention of FASP and the 2016 Student Mental Health and Wellness Conference for Palm Beach County Public Schools. “Dr. Valley-Gray’s role in regard to my directed study was crucial,” Marcus said. “She acted as my mentor, editor, and cheerleader throughout the entire process. She provided me with ideas about how to go about researching the topic and structur- ing my paper, and she encouraged me to submit my paper to present at professional conferences. Without her cheering me on, I would have never presented at such a large conference as FASP.” Fourth-year doctoral student Kelli Dari works with Valley-Gray on projects related to professional associations such as the National Association of School Psychologists and the American Academy of School Psychologists. These experiences helped to provide her with opportunities to build connections with graduate trainers, students, and local school psychologists. “Dr. Valley-Gray helped me prepare and reach my goals in more ways that I can count,” Dari said. “She is skilled in providing feedback, and she has taught me to push myself to be my best. Academically, she taught me skills that are necessary for counseling, testing, and supervision. Profes- sionally, she has taught me a problem-solving approach and how to work well with colleagues and students.” “It’s incredible to work with students and get to know them and watch them develop,’’ said Valley-Gray. “It’s so rewarding to see them blossom before my eyes.” n Mentoring students, such as Barbara Peacock in her second year in clinical psychology, is a priority for Sarah Valley-Gray.