NBCC Fellowship Program

Alina Quintana, a student in the MS Counseling program, Career Counseling specialization, in the College of Education was recently chosen for the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) Minority Fellowship Program. In 2014, NBCC was awarded two additional federally funded MFP grants from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that allow the Foundation to distribute up to 80 master’s-level minority fellowships on a yearly basis. As one of two CSU students selected in all of California, this nationwide recognition earns her top marks in the Career Counseling path and showcases the top work being produced by the Counselor Education MA program.

Ms. Quintana, currently a Career Development Advisor, was selected in this national competition to increase the number of culturally competent addiction counselors and mental health counselors available to underserved minority populations, with a specific focus on transition-age youth (ages 16–25). During her time as a fellow, she will have the opportunity to work directly with her chosen community to better serve their needs.

Alina wasn’t always sure of the path towards her career. As an undergrad student, she was unsure of the options available to her and how to find the information she needed to advance her education. She felt the challenge of navigating the college process to be formidable. When she looked through a critical lens at the role models that inspired her career ambitions, she found the people that she admired most to be working in Counseling. It was when she began working at the Career Center here on campus that she saw a deep importance and social justice impact of her work. Here she saw how Career Counseling provides a path to economic justice, and Alina committed to helping others navigate this path.

As a first-generation American, Alina’s mother always pushed her towards education. Growing up, poverty and the other struggles of being first-generation were a hardship that shaped her motivation to create better experiences, not just for herself but for her whole family. Even with a focus on advancing her family, her mother always encouraged her to pursue a career that would make her happy, and not just be a paycheck. Alina attributes much of this influence to her decision to pursue a career helping people so that she can continue to be a force of good in people’s lives every day.

Alina sees her work in Career Services as part of social justice and equity. As an undergrad at UC Davis, the courses she took within the Chicano Studies department taught her how these leaders paved the way for social justice in our communities today, and how equity and access make such a big difference in people’s lives. “I see how impactful Career Services are in BIPOC communities,” she says, “especially with first-generation college students. Career Services are important to helping students with indecision and getting them the information they need to make purposeful career decisions.”

The process to become an NBCC fellow can be a daunting task, and Ms. Quintana is especially thankful for all the help from the Counselor Education faculty. Her instructors motivate her with informative courses, they become mentors and even help with the fellowship process. Drs. Bita Rivas and Rachel Marshall were especially helpful with writing letters of recommendation and understanding the application process. When asked about what made her want to pursue this path, Alina mentioned how impactful faculty bringing professionals from the community into the classroom was. One of her instructors—Christina Rogers—brought in professionals from the community to talk about the process of counseling youth, and what a difference it makes in opening opportunities for them; which Alina says really helped showcase the importance of this career path.

Alina is a natural fit for this fellowship. She was already working with diverse communities and putting her passion to good use. In her role as a fellow, she will have the opportunity to take that a step further, working on professional development conferences, attending symposiums, and working with other fellows on a project to benefit an underserved community. The opportunity to work on large conferences like this is one Alina wouldn’t have been able to participate in without the fellowship assistance. The financial assistance and connections she receives from this opportunity will help propel her in her career and establish her as a leader in her field early on.

Alina’s advice to those thinking about pursuing a similar opportunity, “Take a chance. We live with ourselves every day—often we miss to see how impactful our work really is.”

We look forward to following Alina Quintana’s work as she completes her MS Counseling degree and seeing what her path as an NBCC Minority Fellowship Program fellow has in store.

The Institute for Life Coach Training

Year Founded: 1998

Model of Therapy: Coaching

Available training types: Distance training via teleconferences and some self-directed courses on computer

Coaching is a professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses or organizations, helping them to bridge the gap between where they are now and where they want to be. Coaches partner with their clients to design the life they want, bring out their clients’ own brilliance and resources so that they can achieve excellence and create purposeful, extraordinary lives. By creating clarity, coaching moves the client into action, accelerating their progress by providing greater focus and awareness of all the possibilities which exist to create fulfilling lives.

Many of the early psychological theories (Adler, Jung, Ellis) and current theories such as Positive Psychology and the “solution focused” therapies are antecedents to modern day coaching. Instead of pathology as the main focus, these theories focus on behavior change through increased awareness and choices for desired future results and solutions to current problems in living, with the individual as the creator and artist of his or her life.

Originally founded in 1998 by Dr. Patrick Williams, MCC, to train counselors, psychologists, social workers, The Institute for Life Coach Training continues to be a leading international provider of coach training for those coming from the helping professions, providing a proven means to quickly transition their skills into coaching. 

ILCT was the first coach training program selected by the Center for Credentialing and Education, an affiliate of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), for graduate level professionals pursuing the Board Certified Coach credential, the first coaching credential which gives credit for graduate work. The Institute’s rich heritage in the social sciences and its commitment to excellence allows us to attract and retain a highly accomplished faculty, many of whom are dually trained and credentialed in traditional helping professions as well as coaching.

The Institute for Life Coach Training is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEPTM), so students may earn NBCC continuing education clock hours for all completed courses.

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No Test Option FAQ

In 2015, UMass Lowell was the first public school in New England to go test optional. Our No Test Option is available to students applying now.

It’s better for students. Standardized tests can provide a useful snapshot, but they are just one indicator of a student’s potential. The outcome of one test shouldn’t disqualify a great student from studying here.

Not even a little. UMass Lowell will continue to increase selectivity as we grow. We want to enroll the best students, and the No Test Option is in line with that philosophy.

We cannot give a one-size-fits-all answer here. Choose the option that best reflects you. If you aren’t sure, ask your college counselor for advice.

Applicants who scored a 1120 or higher on the SAT or 23 or higher on the ACT are good candidates to submit test scores as part of the application process.

Applicants applying under the No Test Option should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and evidence of outstanding academic success throughout high school.

Applicants with a 3.0 GPA or better, with SAT or ACT scores below our suggested minimum scores are strongly encouraged to consider applying as a No Test applicant.

Just choose the No Test Option on your application.

Students can complete a form in their applicant portal to request to change to the No-Test Option. Requests to change from a test submitting student to the No Test Option must be made prior to notification of an admission decision.

Our admissions committee would like to offer you an opportunity to support your No Test Option application by submitting an additional 250-550 word essay that offers insights into your personal experience and background. Although an additional essay is not required, we would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about you and your potential contributions to the university. You may choose one of the following options:

Yes. Students will be automatically considered for a scholarship when reviewed for admission.

Most applicants can, but test scores are required for some home-schooled and international applicants.

Home-school applicants with a minimum of 12 transferrable college credits are eligible to participate in No Test. Please visit our Transfer Dictionary for information on transferrable credits. Home-school applicants applying for admission with less than 12 transferrable college credits may appeal the test score requirement. These applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

International first-year applicants: You may use the No Test option and waive the SAT or ACT and English proficiency exams (TOEFL, Duolingo, IELTS, Pearson Versant) if your secondary school provides written verification that the means of instruction is in English, you are enrolled in an IB curriculum, attend an international American School, or are enrolled in a curriculum that leads to Cambridge International Exams: IGCSE/O-Level and GCE/A level exam.

Yes, however, students must submit an English proficiency exam (TOEFL, Duolingo, IELTS or Pearson Versant) exam to demonstrate English proficiency before being considered for admission as a No Test applicant.

Whether a student chooses to send scores or not, our decision process will be similar. We focus on academic achievement, rigor of high school coursework, and what we know about your personal qualities. We will make a decision based on your whole application.

Yes.

Technically, yes. Transfer counselors will work directly with applicants who fall into this category. Please contact Transfer Admissions by email at: transfer@uml.edu.

Admission for nursing is uniquely competitive, however we do accept No Test applications to our nursing program.

Given the competitive reality of nursing admission, we need to manage our application pool for nursing differently than the general application pool. One of the ways we do this is by requiring nursing applicants to apply by the January 5 Early Action II deadline.

Another way we manage this application pool is by elevating the criteria for admission based on the strength of the application pool and based on our enrollment goals. Because those variables change from year to year, we cannot provide a specific minimum threshold for GPA for consideration for nursing, but we can say that the suggested minimum of a 3.0 is likely to be significantly less than the actual GPA we will be able to consider for nursing. In prior years, a 3.5-3.75 has been a realistic range for minimum consideration as a No Test applicant. Nursing students can use this range as a reasonable expectation to help decide if applying No Test is right for you.