Our Team | Nuestro Equipo
LEADERSHIP
Capielo Rosario, Ph.D (Ella/she/her)
Dr. Capielo Rosario is a proud Puerto Rican native, a devoted mother to her son, Andrés Esteban Capielo Saul, and a loving wife to her husband, Dr. Steven Saul. As an Associate Professor in the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology at ASU, she brings both passion and purpose to her work. In 2016, she earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from The University of Georgia, marking the beginning of a meaningful career dedicated to uplifting Latinx communities. Her research is deeply personal, rooted in a commitment to understanding and addressing health disparities among Latinx populations, particularly Puerto Rican immigrants in Florida. With a blend of quantitative and qualitative methods, she explores how identity, systemic oppression, and sociocultural forces shape wellbeing. Guided by a critical and compassionate lens, her work examines the intersections of race, ethnicity, racism, and colonialism, shedding light on the complex ways these factors impact lives. Her scholarship unfolds along two vital paths: (1) assessing individual and cultural markers of wellbeing, and (2) investigating the societal and institutional barriers that affect health. Through this work, she amplifies the voices of Latinx communities, advocating for equity and justice. Beyond her academic achievements, Dr. Capielo Rosario carries her heritage with pride—she is bilingual, a native Spanish speaker, and a bridge between cultures, always striving to make a difference both in and out of the classroom.
Favorite quote: “Grande es el imperio al que nos enfrentamos pero más grande es nuestro derecho a ser libres." Pedro Albizu Campos
CURRENT PHD COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS
Anyoliny “Angie” Sánchez, MEd (Ella/she/her).
Angie is a passionate and dedicated fifth-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University, where she brings warmth, insight, and a deep commitment to uplifting marginalized voices. With roots in both scholarship and advocacy, her work is driven by a profound desire to honor the lived experiences of AfroLatinx communities, particularly AfroDominicans, whose stories have too often been overlooked. Before joining the PLENA Lab at ASU, Angie earned her master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kentucky, where she began weaving together her love for psychology, social justice, and culturally responsive care. As a bilingual therapist (English/Spanish), she is deeply invested in breaking down barriers to mental health care, ensuring that Spanish-speaking communities receive healing in the language of their hearts. Her recent thesis, “¡Por la Patria!”: A Content Analysis of Psychological Research with Dominicans (AfroLatinx) from 2000-2021, is more than an academic milestone, it is a labor of love, challenging the field to center AfroLatinx narratives in psychological research. Beyond her scholarship, Angie serves as a student representative for the National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA), where she advocates for equity, representation, and empowerment for Latinx psychologists-in-training. At her core, Angie believes in the power of storytelling, the strength of community, and the transformative potential of therapy that sees, hears, and celebrates people in their full humanity. Her journey is not just about earning a degree, it is about making psychology more inclusive, compassionate, and real for those who need it most.
Génesis Ramos-Rosado, MA (Ella/she/her).
Génesis is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University and a native of Puerto Rico. Génesis carries the spirit of Puerto Rico in her heart and her work. As a proud Boricua and third-year Counseling Psychology doctoral student at Arizona State University, she walks between worlds - from her childhood in Puerto Rico to her academic journey that began with a Bachelor's degree at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Today, as leader of the PLENA lab, she pours her passion into researching how colonial wounds manifest in her people, work that took shape in her powerful 2023 master's thesis on colonial mentality, fragmentation, and horizontal oppression among Puerto Ricans in the diaspora. Her scholarship is more than academic - it's personal. When Hurricane María ravaged her homeland, it didn't just destroy infrastructure; it exposed the deep fractures of colonialism that she had known her whole life. This bilingual researcher, who moves effortlessly between Spanish and English, brings both scholarly rigor and authentic lived experience to her mission: to heal the psychological scars of colonialism and empower her community. Yet Génesis knows that true liberation lives not just in theories but in culture - in the rhythm of salsa, the aroma of mofongo, and the warm Puerto Rican Spanish jerga that still feels like home. Her work is an act of love for Puerto Rico, a commitment to ensuring that future generations inherit both the pride and the justice her people deserve.
Favorite quote: "Ya no queremos déspotas, caiga el tirano ya, las mújeres indómitas también sabrán luchar." - Lola Rodríguez de Tió
Paola N. Morales Hernández, MA (Ella/she/her).
Paola is a second-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University and a native of Puerto Rico. Paola’s journey in psychology is deeply rooted in her passion for understanding culture, identity, and human connection. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, where her curiosity about these themes first blossomed. Her academic path led her to New York University, where she completed her Master’s in Psychology, further exploring how our earliest bonds shape the way we love and relate to others. Her work delves into the profound intersections of attachment, ethnicity, and colonial mentality, particularly within Puerto Rican communities in which examining how these forces ripple through relationships, both romantic and personal. Currently, she is investigating how the coloniality of knowledge influences the conceptualization of Puerto Rican cultural values, aiming to illuminate how colonial dynamics persist in the way these values are interpreted and lived out. As a native Spanish speaker and future bilingual psychologist, Paola brings more than language to her practice. She offers cultural understanding, ensuring her clients feel truly seen. For her, psychology is not just theory; it’s about healing the invisible wounds of history, untangling the threads of identity, and empowering people to reclaim the narratives that shape their lives.
Favorite quote: “El que no quiere a su patria, no quiere a su madre.” - Pedro Albizu Campos
Darinel J. López Feliciano, BA. (El/he/him).
Darinel is a second-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University and a native of Puerto Rico. Darinel received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. His research interests center on how colonialism affects the Puerto Rican psyche, with a particular focus on colonial mentality, identity development, political perceptions, and the development of critical consciousness. He also examines how Puerto Rico’s political status impacts the mental and physical health of its people. He is passionate about working with communities, especially low-income and marginalized populations and is committed to identifying culturally sensitive strategies that promote economic mobility and address the consequences of poverty. He is interested in interdisciplinary collaborations and public policy, particularly in the areas of education and health. He has conducted research regarding the intersection between colonial mentality, colorism, and mental and psychical health. He is currently working on Puerto Ricans perception of Puerto Rico’s status vis a vis the United States. His undergraduate thesis consisted on initiating a project to validate the Colonial Mentality Scale for Puerto Ricans (Capielo Rosario et al., 2019) in Spanish and under the island Puerto Rican context. Darinel is bilingual and a native Spanish speaker.
Favorite quote: “La empatía es revolucionaria”/Empathy is revolutionary”
CURRENT MC COUNSELING STUDENTS
Mario Soto, BA (El/he/him).
Mario is a second-year master’s in counseling student at ASU. Rooted in his Ancestors, known and unknown, he carries the desert spirit of Yuma, Arizona, the land that raised him. His journey began with an insatiable curiosity about the world, which led him to earn both a BA and an MA in Psychology. Yet in academia, he found that colonial research often rendered people like him invisible, sparking his resistance to its narrow frameworks. Working with Dr. CR became his awakening with a way to honor truth through community stories, resilience, and healing. Now, as a soon to be bilingual trauma therapist, he walks alongside Latiné individuals, weaving their narratives into spaces of empowerment. When not in session, you’ll find him hiking mountains, learning ancestral plant medicine, or buried in books (he collects more than he can read). Knitting and tending to his plants are his quiet acts of rebellion and care.
Favorite quote: “Liberation comes through fighting with the oppressed, not for them. Every part of his path—the desert that shaped him, the degrees he earned, the stories he holds—fuels that commitment.” - Paulo Freire
María José Hernández Moraga, BA. (Ella/she/her).
María José is a second-year graduate student in the Master of Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University. María José approaches research through a holistic, cultural-relational lens, rooted in the understanding that biology, identity, trauma, and environment are inseparable. Her research interests center on the application of cultural-relational theory in working with individuals who have experienced trauma, particularly within historically marginalized communities. She believes in the power of intersectionality, recognizing that every layer of personal experience, cultural background, systemic oppression, and relationships shape our mental and physical well-being. Guided by her Mexican-American roots, María José is bilingual and offers therapy in Spanish to serve the Latine community. Her work is grounded in a deep respect for context, resilience, and the lived wisdom of the communities she studies and serves. She is committed to advancing inclusive, trauma-informed research that honors complexity and promotes healing through both science and relationship.
Favorite quote: “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”; "Quisieron enterrarnos, pero no sabían que éramos semillas." - Zapatista Movement proverb
Milena Lê, B.A. (They/she/he)
Milena is a second-year Counseling master’s student at ASU’s School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology, weaving their lived experiences, community wisdom, and a deep awareness of systemic oppression into their work. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, they carry the resilience of their roots, both personal and ancestral, into their decolonial, intersectional approach to healing. Driven by the impacts of structural violence on marginalized communities, Milena centers liberation not just in theory, but in daily practice. Their studies and activism are grounded in a simple truth: systems change when we honor the stories they erase.
Favorite quote: "Nobody's free until everybody's free." - Fannie Lou Hamer
PLENA ALUMNI
Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology
Larren J. Winn, PhD graduated in 2025. Dr. Winn is currently exploring employment options in the Phoenix, AZ area.
Alexis D. Faison, PhD graduated in 2024. She is currently an assistant clinical professor in the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology at ASU.
Jennifer “Jenny” Florez, PhD graduated in 2024. Starting in the fall 2025, Dr. Florez will be a psychologist at the El Paso, VA.
Amber Schaefer, PhD graduated in 2024. Dr. Schaefer is currently a postdoc fellow at The Nicholls’ Group in Phoenix, AZ.
Roberto Rentería, PhD graduated in 2022 from the counseling psychology program at Arizona State University. Dr. Rentería is currently completing a tenure-track assistant professor at Boston College.
Jorge Ballesteros, PhD graduated in 2022 from the counseling psychology program at Arizona State University. Dr. Ballesteros is a Sport Psychologist at Pepperdine University within their Athletic and Counseling Center departments.
Master’s in Counseling
(* = Completing PhD or PsyD at a different institution)
Kyana Hamilton, MC graduated in 2024 with her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.
Jennifer “Jenny” Gil, MC graduated in 2023 with her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.
*Matthew Steranska, MC graduated in 2023 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.
Brenton Wejrowski, MC graduated in 2022 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.
Leonard “Leo” Covarubias, MC graduated in 2022 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.
*Lisa Gutierrez, MC graduated in 2022 with her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.
*Tristan Mattwig, MC graduated in 2022 with his master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University.
Gretchen Ochoa Bobadilla, MC completed her master’s in counseling degree from Arizona State University in 2020.
Fengheng “Feng” Qiu, MC graduated in 2018 with a master’s in mental health counseling from ASU.
Bachelor’s in Counseling/Psychology/Other Allied Professions
(* = Completing graduate degree at a different institution)
*Adaliz Maisonet, BA graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s in Applied Counseling and Psychological Sciences from ASU. She is currently working on her master’s in family counseling at the University of South Florida.
*Karla Caldera, BA graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s in Applied Counseling and Psychological Sciences from ASU. She is currently a doctoral student in psychology at ASU.
Delia Moraga, BSW graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University.