Outstanding Grad Spotlight: Jacara Terry

Editor’s Note: The College of Education is delighted to recognize the 11 students selected by their programs and departments as 2026 Outstanding Graduates. View all our honorees.

For Jacara Terry, earning her Master of Science in Child Development from SDSU is not the end of her academic journey. This fall, the aspiring psychologist will enter a doctoral program in counseling psychology and continue her equity- and culture-based research. 

"Many things inspire me down this path, but most critically, it is being able to be an advocate as a future mental health clinician and researcher in spaces that direly need it," said Terry, who was born and raised in Florida. "I am pushed forward by the passion to be able to create meaningful change in my career fields and make therapy and research something that is truly equitable and conscious of others' backgrounds, communities and cultures."

Terry selected Assistant Professor Wendy Ochoa — her thesis chair — as her Most Influential Faculty Member. She said Ochoa was a constant source of encouragement through her program.

"She has been unwavering in her belief in my ability, and it has made me a better student and researcher in turn," Terry said.