​​​Struggling with a toxic and abusive home environment throughout her youth, Monica R. Correale overcame trauma to become the first in her family to graduate from college. Monica earned a bachelor's in psychology from Humboldt State University while achieving a 3.9 GPA and is currently a graduate student in developmental psychopathology at Humboldt. For her master’s thesis, Monica plans on examining adult romantic relationship processes and their potential to amplify or diminish the mental health effects of early childhood abuse experiences.

Having volunteered as an early literacy tutor as an undergraduate, Monica now serves as a teaching assistant. Her responsibilities include lecturing on topics such as the neurobiology of love relationships and intersections between multiple forms of family violence. She also works in Humboldt’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center. Monica plans to pursue a Ph.D. in applied developmental psychology or a related field and become a university professor.