Camille Smith

• LGBTQ+

• Student/Trainee Assistant
• Student/Trainee Scholarship

• Wednesday, June 11, 2025 (Afternoon)
• Thursday, June 12, 2025 (Morning)
• Thursday, June 12, 2025 (Afternoon)
• Friday, June 13, 2025 (Morning)
• Friday, June 13, 2025 (Afternoon)

My commitment to service is demonstrated by my dedication to my career in a helping profession. Even before settling on a career in psychology, I spent my undergraduate years working at several nonprofits. I was especially passionate about issues surrounding homelessness in Memphis, TN (where I attended college) and served as the editor in chief of a street paper bringing awareness to issues for unhoused individuals. Since starting a career in psychology, I have sought out clinical training opportunities that have allowed me to work with individuals who are typically underserved. I have especially enjoyed working with individuals from low-income backgrounds and who hold diverse intersecting identities. I also decided to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship for next year that will allow me to develop expertise in multicultural neuropsychology and develop batteries for non-English speaking patients. Throughout the remainder of my career, I hope to continue prioritizing my commitment to service within the field of clinical neuropsychology. As I become more involved in neuropsychologist professional organizations, I would like to extend my service commitment to others in my profession by attending conferences such as AACN and serving fellow members.

Growing up, I did not have examples in my family of women who had pursued longstanding careers. In my family, it was expected that a woman should work until she gets married, then have children and this should be their full-time calling. While this is a completely valid choice for individuals who prefer it, I knew that I wanted to pursue graduate school. I also knew that I did not want to live in my Alabama hometown anymore, and that I did not identify with my evangelical Christian upbringing. My decision to pursue graduate school in Boston, specialize in neuropsychology, and come out as queer did not align with the version of myself that I was "supposed to" be. However, with support of both external resources (supportive friends and mentors) and internal resources (dedication and calculated risk taking), I am proud to now be living a life that I enjoy and chose for myself. I still maintain relationships with my family but I am ecstatic to be persevering my career goals, despite these social barriers from earlier in my life.

I would be so elated to attend the AACN conference for the first time. I have not yet attended any conference in neuropsychology. As an individual in a counseling psychology PhD program with a masters' in mental health counseling, my background is non-traditional for neuropsychology. I switched into this specialization after my second year of graduate school and I wholeheartedly pursued this field, completing multiple practica in neuropsychology before matching to a neuropsychology-focused internship at a VA hospital. Now I have committed to a two-year neuropsychology postdoc and have aspirations for board certification. My nontraditional background has bolstered my enthusiasm for learning as much as possible about the field in a short amount of time. I have been wanting to attend a conference for a while, but financial costs of travel and limited time off work has made it difficult. The ability to attend AACN would allow me to make important connections with others in the field, learn more about ongoing research and clinical work, and instill a sense of belonging in the neuropsychology community that I have been seeking for so long. I would be so excited to attend this conference!