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It’s not uncommon for college students to change course. Grace Blackard, an Honors alum, transferred to the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ from St. Petersburg College after her second year. Initially planning a career in research, she discovered a new calling after counseling substance-abuse patients firsthand.

This fall, Blackard will attend the College of William and Mary’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master of Education Program with a concentration in military and veteran counseling.

What inspired your decision to transfer to USF St. Petersburg and join the Honors College?  
 
made it incredibly easy to transfer, and I highly recommend joining it if you're a community college student. As for the Honors College, I was also an Honors student at SPC, and I made a promise to the director of their Honors program that I would continue the Honors path when I transferred. This is, of course, in addition to the fact that I enjoyed the different coursework set aside for Honors students and the unique opportunities we were offered, and I wanted to continue that at USF! 
 
Looking back, what are some of your most memorable experiences from your time in Honors? 

There are two big memories for me. The first is taking City of the Arts: St. Petersburg with Dr. Catherine Wilkins, wherein I had the unique opportunity to visit many museums at no cost to me and learn about the unique challenges museums face. It all culminated in conducting a SWOT analysis — a technique that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization — to improve a local museum, which was an amazing and unique experience.  
 
The other experience was definitely the USF St. Petersburg Honors College dinner, wherein my grandmother and I were the only people to attend. It was a fabulous dinner with Dani Soluna, the academic advisor, and my favorite professors, Dr. Wilkins and Dr. Thomas Smith. We received a private tour of the Honors College buildings and had great conversations over the course of the evening. I definitely recommend attending when you graduate, as it was a lovely bookend on a fantastic two years at USF and a final chance to get to spend time with the faculty. 
 
How did your interest in clinical counseling begin, and how has it evolved during your academic journey?  
 
Actually, my interest in counseling started after graduation. I was dead-set on going into research until I started working as a substance-abuse counselor at a small prison in Texas after graduating. I knew I had found my calling when I saw the changes those men had made over the course of six months and through seeing that I had a small part in their journey to substance-abuse recovery. The emotions I felt when they left the prison with a well-earned certificate could never be replicated by being a researcher. 
 
Can you share a bit about the graduate program you’ll be starting at William & Mary this fall and what drew you to it? 
 
I will be attending the College of William and Mary's Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master of Education Program. They offer both in person and online tracks. With the online track, you get to go to campus twice to meet faculty and your peers which is a wonderful way to network. There are three specializations to pick from: clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis on military and veterans. The program helps you get on track to earn your license to become a therapist through a practicum and internship in your community. 
 
Aside from the College of William and Mary's stellar reputation, I was attracted by the specialization in military and veterans they offer for clinical mental health counseling students. I am a part of that community as a military spouse, so I am quite aware of the unique problems faced by those in the community. Additionally, the offered online track was quite attractive, as I am subject to random moves due to my husband being active duty. 
 
What advice would you give to current Honors students or graduates who are navigating their next steps? 
 
I would say my biggest piece of advice is to be open to being flexible with your career. Just because you're studying to become one thing now, does not mean you can't change your mind later. You have no idea where your career (and life) will take you, so be open to change.