DMU 2026 Testimonial: Carmen Salcido

0:08Hi. My name is Carmen, and I am an alumni at Divine Mercy University graduating in my master's degree from, counseling. When I started this journey, I really know what to expect. I knew that what I wanted was to help people, and I wanted to attend a Catholic university. At DMU, I learned more of not just theory and textbooks, but I really learned about how to look at the entire person, how to look at the person with compassion and understanding from both a clinical and a spiritual lens, which I have found just extremely helpful, now that I have worked in both, addictions and in private practice. My experience at DMU was, just so much more than what I expected, not just from the quality of all the, professors, but also the collaboration that they have built with, with this with this within the student groups.

1:17These are relationships that even after, finishing the programs, we still have, which are very, very valuable as we go out on our own. I cannot say that there was one single class that stood out only because I found just the entire program so perfect in terms of how they address all the possible things that you may be encountering in the field, from, addictions to, sexual trauma to, even other types of trauma when you think about, how people experience natural disasters. It was very, very comprehensive in terms of all the possibilities, that you may encounter not only in your internships, but also I feel as I go into specializing in one particular field. For me, what I have, gravitated towards is more trauma informed care.

2:24And looking at this from a Catholic Christian lens, it's really empowered me to look at people beyond what they have encountered, what they have suffered, for some what they have done, they have hurt others, and looking at them from a lens of healing and hope, so that those patterns are broken and they're able to go on to live more fulfilling lives. I want to thank, all the benefactors and those that supported DMU. I was very fortunate to be a recipient of some of those scholarships, which I am very grateful for as a single mom and going into a second career. I would not have been able to continue with this work without that support. And I really wanted to thank, DMU for being more than just a school.

3:27When you entered this long program, which for me was for three years, one encounters a very a lot of life effects. I suffered through the death of my brother, through my, my father being, very, very ill, through problems with my son. And throughout it all, the professors really went above and beyond in being able to offer me the support that I needed and the guidance so that I could complete my studies. That to me is really a lot more than most schools are able to offer. They really not just teach you, but they practice what they teach you, which I find even more valuable than anything that I encountered through my academic career.