Counseling grad privileged ‘to be part of someone’s journey’

Leila Mohammadizadeh loved her undergraduate major, English literature, so much she considered pursuing a PhD, but something was missing. She wanted to make a difference. She realized she wanted to help people.

“I had a lot of passion for the classes I was taking, and I really enjoyed the research aspect of it,” Mohammadizadeh said. “But, as I was going through it, I was asking myself, ‘What is it that I want to do? Can I make a positive impact on other people if I go into this field?’”

It was that desire to help people that led her to look for a graduate program in counseling, and that ultimately led her to Augusta University.

“I had a professor tell me, ‘I think you’d be great at this,’ and I was like, ‘OK, time to pivot time in a big way,’” she said. “I was in personal therapy at that time, and my therapist said, ‘Have you considered getting your graduate degree in counseling?’ And that just opened this path for me because I was on the other side in the role of the client where I felt there was something missing from my therapeutic experience.”

When she made the change, she felt an overwhelming amount of support from those closest to her, including her dad, brothers and partner, Grant. Through the support of Grant and her family, she was able to take the challenges over the next 2 1/2 years and carve out an amazing experience for herself.

“I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for my loved ones, my family, friends and Grant,” Mohammadizadeh said. “Honestly, there aren’t enough words to describe my gratitude for all the love and support I received from the people in my life. The women in my family have paved a path of success and academic excellence for me to follow. My dad, mom and brothers have answered every phone call and text message to remind me of my strength and listen to me even when they were busy.

“My friends and the classmates who I would not have met without this program have provided me with enough comfort and laughter to make even the hardest days better,” she continued. “My partner, Grant, deserves an honorary degree for all the papers he read after I spent hours working on them, all the times he has shown up for me and all the ways he has grown with me. This experience would not have been the same, and likely would not have been possible, without these incredible people who I am so lucky to have in my life.”

During the application process, one counseling program began to stand out from the others: Augusta University’s Master of Education in Counselor Education with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through the College of Education and Human Development.

Mohammadizadeh was already familiar with AU as one of her brothers attended AU’s Dental College of Georgia, but, during an online interview with faculty from AU, she realized Augusta was where she wanted to go because of the genuine connection she felt to faculty. Faculty, like Meredith Rausch, PhD, who has become a close mentor.

“Leila has been in a number of my classes, and she has this desire to really know what she’s doing and to do more,” Rausch said. “She’s a passionate individual about her work and those around her, and I really admire that about her. She would stay after class, and we would talk about things she could do to really get the most out of her time with us.”

Mohammadizadeh is always up for helping Rausch and learning more. From manning a recruitment booth and speaking with local high school students at local college fairs to analyzing and conducting research and presenting alongside Rausch, she has a genuine desire to help, to learn more and to make herself better because she knows that to help others, she has to continually work on herself.

“Leila is always asking, ‘What else can I do for you?’ So, I asked her to present with me, and, by the third presentation, doctoral-level presentations, she was leading it herself, and that level of work and experience wasn’t scary to her,” Rausch said. “She is humble but also has this passion and drive that I know will take her far.”

“Her impact goes beyond our office, students and staff. Her impact will continue to be fruitful long after she graduates because she has inspired long-term change/culture within our space.”

Shontrea Hogans from the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement

Mohammadizadeh credits the faculty of the program, and especially Rausch, for building her up and preparing her for the career she is excited to embark on. She knows she has always had the capacity to do more and help, but she feels the faculty and her classmates in the program have really brought more out of her, including serving as the president of the counseling program’s international honors society, Chi Sigma Iota.

“When I first started, I was so excited. The prospect of being a counselor and being able to be a part of people’s story was a privilege,” Mohammadizadeh said. “Going through this program, you will change fundamentally as a person, and you have to be ready for that because, if you’re not open to that, you and the people you’re hoping to help are going to suffer from that. If a client comes in who has been through something you’ve been through and you haven’t worked through that, at least in some capacity, it’s not fair to you or the person that you’re trying to help.”

On top of her studies and internship at a local counseling service, Mohammadizadeh has been able to translate her passion for helping people into a graduate assistantship with AU’s Office of Multicultural Student Engagement. It’s there that she has truly felt a sense of accomplishment by engaging with students from so many different backgrounds who sometimes have felt unseen or as if they were not truly being asked about themselves, rather than just their classes or work.

“To be a part of someone’s journey, whether it’s as a counselor or in my assistantship, it’s such a unique thing to do. You get to be right there in people’s lives and know about what they’ve been through and see their progress. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Leila Mohammadizadeh

Mohammadizadeh reached out to Garrett Green, EdD, who was the director of MSE at the time and is now associate vice president of Access, Success and Belonging, and expressed her sincere interest in filling the role. When she interviewed with Shontrea Hogans, who was a coordinator at the time, it was like talking with an old friend, and she knew she wanted to be a part of MSE’s efforts to advocate for and help students.

One of her first experiences with MSE was its annual retreat before the start of the new academic year.

“I love my graduate assistantship, and I feel so grateful for this opportunity and also very sad to be leaving that position,” Mohammadizadeh said. “Every year we do a retreat with all the students before classes start, and we were thrown in the deep end. It was an absolutely overwhelming but also incredible experience. I’ve now done three retreats, and they just get better and better, and it grows every year. This year, we had almost 200 students at the retreat. It was really hectic but also so fun and rewarding.”

Hogans was one of the first people to interact with Mohammadizadeh even before she became the graduate assistant for the office, and she felt an immediate connection to Mohammadizadeh and has been appreciative of her work.

“I remember when I first met Leila in her interview for her graduate assistantship. The interview quickly became what felt like a chat between long-time friends,” Hogans said. “She was humorous, charismatic and joyful, which she continued to bring into her role as our graduate assistant.

“Leila and I both started working in the MSE office at the same time, so when I say we grew and developed together, that is an understatement,” Hogans continued. “We have both developed as professionals within MSE, but if it wasn’t for Leila, I don’t know where I would be. She has taught me patience, boundaries, grace, empathy and abundant joy.”

During her time as a graduate assistant, Mohammadizadeh has closely worked with first-year students, many of whom are first-generation and may have struggled with finding their identity. She has worked hard to provide a safe space for students, especially if they come from an underrepresented background.

“When I first started, I was so excited. The prospect of being a counselor and being able to be a part of people’s story was a privilege.”

Leila Mohammadizadeh

“Her impact goes beyond our office, students and staff,” Hogans continued. “Her impact will continue to be fruitful long after she graduates because she has inspired long-term change/culture within our space. While we know that Leila is going on to do big things within her career field, she will be greatly missed when she leaves our office.

“There are no words that could truly describe the impact Leila has made on our office and the students that we service,” Hogans continued. “The energy she brings into every room is a contagious joy that brightens every situation. Leila has a superpower to make everyone she meets feel seen, heard and accepted with just one conversation. Every conversation or interaction she has had with our students has left a life-changing impact. The students flock to her for guidance, support, wisdom or just a good laugh.”

Shareen Clement, EdD, director of MSE, has also been able to help Mohammadizadeh grow and evolve over her 2 1/2 years and is proud of where she has taken her grad assistantship, including helping to build the Multicultural Mentorship Program.

“Leila was the first graduate assistant and student I ever supervised, and we have a very special bond,” Clement said. “We shared the same first day in the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement in August 2022 when I was the assistant director in the office. Together, we worked to build the Multicultural Mentorship Program into what it is today. Leila has been the literal heart of this program since she arrived and has always approached her role with care and empathy.

“She has built a meaningful relationship with our students, and they respect her as a leader and someone they can trust for guidance and support when things get rough,” Clement continued. “There have been so many times this semester when it hits me that she won’t be here this spring, but I know her impact on the program will be felt for many years.”

While both Clement and Mohammadizadeh acknowledge the growth of Mohammadizadeh over the 2 1/2 years, Clement says Mohammadizadeh has had a positive impact on her.

“Leila always says I have helped her grow, but what she is usually referring to is me pushing her to be more organized, efficient and professional, but Leila has pushed me in so many ways that I would not have experienced if we had not crossed paths,” Clement said. “My time with her has made me a more patient, open, flexible, compassionate and fun professional. I am thankful I spent so much time with her last year. Our entire office is stronger because of her impact, but I know that I have been personally changed for the better.”

Now, Mohammadizadeh is ready to embark on a new but familiar endeavor. According to industry standards, she has to spend two years as a counselor in training under the guidance of a licensed therapist, and there is no better place for her to do so than where she already has connections with other counselors and her previous clients, Augusta Counseling Professionals.

“To be a part of someone’s journey, whether it’s as a counselor or in my assistantship, it’s such a unique thing to do,” she said. “You get to be right there in people’s lives and know about what they’ve been through and see their progress. It’s a beautiful thing.”