COEHD graduate student selected for national counseling fellowship 

Guided by compassion and a commitment to excellence, Hannah Lewis, a graduate student in the Department of Research, Counseling, and Curriculum in Augusta University’s College of Education and Human Development, has been selected for the National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program, an initiative that equips future counselors to serve their communities with empathy and leadership. 

The fellowship provides recipients with mentorship, training and professional connections to support their growth as both practitioners and advocates in the mental health field. Each participant also receives $12,000 to assist with their counseling education.

“What excites me the most is being a part of a network of current and former National Board for Certified Counselors fellows and having access to this wealth of information,” Lewis said. “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can from these folks and soaking up everything they have to offer.”

The yearlong program includes a series of workshops and webinars designed to enhance participants’ skills and knowledge. To complete the program, fellows must earn a passing score on the National Counselor Examination or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination.  

Lewis’s decision to pursue counseling was guided by a desire to expand how she could help others. 

“I was originally interested in pursuing art therapy but realized it was limited in what it allowed me to achieve with supporting clients,” she said. “I decided to pursue clinical mental health counseling because I liked that I could use creative interventions and talk therapy and help support people by connecting them with local resources, giving me more flexibility in the types of support I could offer.”

Her focus on integrating creativity and community resources reflects her commitment to addressing mental health needs through both innovation and accessibility.

“I’d like to inspire others to do research in the counseling field and to support them through their work, and their commitment to implementing evidence-based practices in their counseling, to being more responsive and being a safe space for clients,” said Lewis. “It’s so important that we create experiences, and I want to model that so my peers and other counselors can also do that in their own practices.” 

Lewis credits Raven Cokley, PhD, one of her professors, for inspiring her to apply for the fellowship.

“Her presence within this program feels like affirmation that I can do anything that I set my mind to, and I think that’s so powerful,” Lewis said. “She is one of the faculty members who supported me by writing a letter of recommendation, and I really don’t think I would be here today without her support.” 

“Hannah Lewis is a phenomenal student, advocate and counselor-in-training,” Cokley said. “Her vision for her professional future is clear, and she is steadfast in pursuing and achieving her goals of becoming a licensed professional counselor. In addition to being a stellar member of our learning community within the Master of Education in Counselor Education Program, Hannah is also kind, creative and empathetic. Not only does she challenge herself to learn and grow, but she also encourages and inspires her classmates to do the same.” 

Reflecting on the experience, Lewis said the fellowship reinforces her commitment to serving others with compassion and purpose, which is to make a difference in people’s lives.