Category: Leadership & Advocacy

Alec Courtelis International Student Award

Alena PrikhidkoAcademic, CURRICULUM VITAE, Leadership & Advocacy, Research, Teaching

My amazing advisor, Dr. Jacqueline Swank. We finally have pictures together. I am thinking about mentoring a lot and I am blessed to have Dr. Swank, who truly enjoys mentoring students, who is my role model not only professionally, but also personally. She is one of the most generous people I have ever met. Always there to support her mentees and colleagues! At the same time fun to be around, excellent balance of challenge and support, superb researcher and practitioner, this is our Dr. Swank!

FCA Member of the Year 2017 Award

Alena PrikhidkoConference, Leadership & Advocacy, Research

I want to say again what I have just said at the Awards ceremony. Florida Counseling Association is my home. I met myself here. My real self that I had no idea existed. I discovered a leader inside of me, a part of me that wants to help, promote, support! Generous me. Happy me. 
I am endlessly grateful to Tara Jungersen, who was the first person who gave me an opportunity to work as a leader and introduced me to Carly Parot, who I was working with as a region representative and then I met Anne Flenner and Kristie Knight, who believed in me as a leader, who have so much love and passion for the association and profession that you also get it! 
I love you so much! 
And because of all that I was able to launch a movement towards better ethical counseling practice in Russia, which went on so fast and now many people do not know how it all started! And all other good things I started to inspire people for – it all happened because I met these amazing women who had taught me leadership, advocacy and empowered me tremendously.

I am proud to be a member of Florida Counseling Association!