Brazos Valley Psychological Association

GRADUATE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP

The Brazos Valley Psychological Association (BVPA) awards a scholarship to attend the Texas Psychological Association (TPA) Annual Convention. Recipients receive funding for their convention registration fee, student TPA membership fee (if not already a student member), and additional funding may be provided for transportation and lodging as needed.

2025

The Brazos Valley Psychological Association (BVPA) is excited to announce the 2025 Graduate Student Scholarship Award for the Texas Psychological Association (TPA) Annual Convention was awarded to Kristina Hall. The Convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk, San Antonio from November 20-22, 2025. The theme for this year’s convention is The Heart and Science of Psychology.

Kristina Hall

2025 Scholarship Recipient

Kristina Hall is a 3rd year PhD student in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program at Texas A&M University. She earned her dual bachelor's degree in psychology and communication from the University of California, Davis prior to beginning her graduate studies. She is interested in health psychology and interdisciplinary care, with a focus on eating disorder treatment and assessment. She enjoys baking, painting, and Facetiming her family (and cats) back home in California during her free time.

2025 Graduate Student Honorable Mention

Cheyenne Fryar (she/her) is BVPA’s Assistant Secretary. Cheyenne received her BA in Psychology, with a minor in American Sign Language, from Baylor University in 2019 and her M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University in 2024. She is now a third-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Texas A&M University. She works as a graduate assistant for TAMU's University Health Services Prevention & Population Health Team, where she assists with outreach and holistic health programming. Her research interests include stress, resiliency, and suicidality. In her free time, Cheyenne enjoys gardening and listening to true-crime podcasts.

Cheyenne Fryar

2025 Graduate Student Honorable Mention

Nnenna Uche, BS, (she/her), is a 2nd year Counseling Psychology doctoral student at Texas A&M University. She grew up in Houston, Texas, and received her B.S. in Psychology from Santa Clara University in Bay Area, California. Her research focuses on identifying and understanding protective factors, including social support, cultural identity, and personality, and exploring how these factors influence college students’ health and well-being, with a specific emphasis on anxiety and depression. In her undergraduate senior year, she conducted research examining what predictors affect friendship quality within college students. As a member of the Health, Empowerment & Advocacy Lab, she has assisted in manuscripts exploring non-native accents and their effects on mental health and vocational aspirations. Nnenna’s interests center on community outreach and the integration of psychological research with public health initiatives to promote better physical and mental health outcomes among underserved or under-informed populations. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga, watching movies, and trying new restaurants.

Nnenna Uche

2025 Undergraduate Student Honorable Mention

Yadira Colunga Reyes is an undergraduate Health Psychology student at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, RELLIS campus. She is interested in understanding brain processes and their influence on behavior and emotion, with growing interests in neuropsychology, forensic psychology, and developmental psychology. Yadira plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and hopes to give back by supporting and helping others through her work. As a BVPA volunteer, she is committed to contributing, supporting, and continuing to learn from others in the field.

Yadira Colunga Reyes

2024
The Brazos Valley Psychological Association (BVPA) is excited to announce the 2024 Graduate Student Scholarship Award for the Texas Psychological Association (TPA) Annual Convention was awarded to Da Hwin (Erin) Kim. The Convention was held at the Hilton Fort Worth from November 8-9, 2024. The theme for the convention was Where You Belong.

Da Hwin (Erin) Kim, MA, MEd

2024 Scholarship Recipient

Da Hwin (Erin) Kim, M.A., M.Ed. (she/her) is a fifth-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Texas A&M University and an international student from South Korea. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Ewha Womans University, where her growing awareness of gender inequality and social oppression ignited a passion for social justice and advocacy for marginalized communities. After completing a master’s in Korean Studies at Seoul National University, she worked as a Korean language teacher, supporting international students through cultural challenges, which inspired her to become a therapist. She then pursued an MA in Psychology at Chatham University, beginning her journey as both a therapist and a researcher.
As an immigrant Asian woman and student-mother of two, Erin’s personal experiences have shaped her understanding of intersectionality and social justice. These insights guided her research on the mental health needs of marginalized young adults, including Asian international students, Latinas in STEM, Asian Americans and immigrant young adults of color. In recognition of her work, she earned the 2024 School of Education and Human Development Strategic Research Award Fellowship, the 2023 Graduate Research Grant, and APA’s CEMRRAT2 Research Grant. Erin’s research focuses on mental health literacy, help-seeking, and mental health stigma among college students and underrepresented populations.

2023
The Brazos Valley Psychological Association (BVPA) 2023 Graduate Student Scholarship Award for the Texas Psychological Association (TPA) Annual Convention was awarded to Giannina Mixco. The theme for the 2023 convention was Meaningful Impact and was held at the Westin Houston Memorial City on November 3-4, 2023.

2023 Scholarship Recipient

Giannina Mixco (she/her/ella) MS, MEd is a third-year Latina counseling psychology doctoral student at Texas A&M University. Originally from the Florida Space Coast area, she attended high school at Melbourne Central Catholic High School where she graduated in the top 10 of her class. As a Daniel Acker Scholar she attended the State University of New York at Buffalo where she received a BS in Exercise Science and BA in Dance. She completed an MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Sarah Lawrence College and was selected to present her thesis work at a national conference. She thereafter gained clinical experience as a creative arts therapist working with predominately underserved, Spanish-speaking individuals and families in the northeast prior to pursuing her PhD. Giannina currently works as a graduate assistant at the Texas A&M Telebehavioral Care Program conducting outreach and providing counseling services for Spanish-speaking clients. As a doctoral student she has received departmental Bilingual and research and presentation travel scholarship awards, while serving as a mentor in the Latino Aggie Mentorship Program. Her research interests include the intersection of trauma and holistic health and interventions in immigrant populations.

Giannina Mixco, MS, MEd