Albertus Students, Faculty Honored by Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA)
Inclusivity, Diversity, and Social Justice Efforts Recognized
Da’Veona Parker
Elisa Rodriguez
Dr. Rezvan
New Haven, Conn., November 18, 2025 – Albertus Magnus College is pleased to announce the recognition of stand-out students and faculty at the recent Connecticut Psychological Association Convention (CPA).
Da’Veona Parker Sessions ‘26, an undergraduate psychology student, and Elisa Rodriguez ’07, ’22, ’24, ’27, a second year graduate student in the Master of Science in Clinical Counseling program, both received the Dr. Jan Owens-Lane Mentoring Scholarship Award.
Presented by the CPA Ethnic Diversity Task Force, this award promotes inclusivity and diversity. Recipients are granted complimentary participation in the CPA Annual Convention, receive mentorship, and gain exposure to leadership development opportunities.
In addition, Albertus Associate Professor Shiva Rezvan, Ph.D., received the Distinguished Contribution to Diversity and Social Justice in Psychology Award for her role as chair of the Social Justice Committee since its founding in 2020.
“I’m honored and truly humbled to receive this honor,” shared Dr. Rezvan, who is a licensed psychologist in Connecticut. “One of my passions is to act toward Social Justice and Human Rights. As a result, I have developed courses focusing on unconscious biases. Additionally, I am pleased that our Albertus students received the scholarship award from the Connecticut Psychological Association's Ethnic Diversity Task Force (EDTF) to receive mentorship and empower our community. I appreciate their effort and interest in advocacy work.”
In her academic role, Dr. Rezvan teaches the following programs: Master of Science in Clinical Counseling; Master of Science in Human Services; Psychology Accelerated Degree; and the traditional undergraduate Psychology program. She is also an internship coordinator for Clinical Counseling and a member of the Albertus Justice Panel.
The CPA was formed to further the development and usefulness of psychology as a science, as a professional and as a means of promoting human welfare. One of its goals is to establish and maintain high standards of professional competence, training, service, and ethics — as well as provide opportunities for students pursuing training in this field.
About Albertus Magnus College
About Albertus Magnus College: Founded in 1925, Albertus is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money, and The New York Times, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For nine consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained employment or gone on to graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and graduate program levels. Proud to enroll a student body where nearly half of its undergraduate students receive Federal Pell Grants and are first-generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, including BSN and Connecticut's first LPN-to-BSN; General Health Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies; and Public Health. Among its graduate offerings is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program, and it is just one of three schools to offer a Master of Science in Human Services. In 2025-26, Albertus is celebrating its historic 100th Anniversary and completing implementation of the Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, with a bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.