Who I Am

My name is Cristina Fernández, and I am simultaneously the subject and author of this website. I spent my formative years in Miami, Florida, and earned my bachelor's degree (B.A., Psychology) at Florida International University. After an obligatory period of introspection and world travel, I packed my belongings and headed to Massachusetts in 2005. Once here, I began studying at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and earned my master's degree in Community Social Psychology in 2007. You can read more in-depth details about my educational background on the corresponding part of the site.

After graduation, I took some time off to go back to Florida, where I learned the hard way that eloping really is the better alternative to a traditional wedding. I did get a husband out of the whole ordeal, though. His name is Joshua Smith (St. Joseph's College of Maine, c/o 2005), and he is a Montessori lower elemetary school teacher.

These days, I work as an assistant store manager at Dressbarn. While I have found that there are a number of benefits to working in this industry, my ultimate goal is to utilize my professional "do gooder" skills, advocating for those who are historically underserved or underrepresented in the community in a nonprofit/community benefit setting. I would like to make a difference on a broader and more profound level, but while I'm in customer service/sales, I am working as hard as I can in this field. There is a surprising number of transferrable skills to be learned! On the side, I continue to help out at the Center for Women and Work and am constantly "in training" for the annual Walk For Hunger in Boston.

At various points along the way, I became a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), Psi Chi, and the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA).

And, in case you were wondering, the "M" stands for "Mariela", and it's pronounced "mar-YELL-ah".