BGN Girl: Tiarra Currie

Bonjour!! My name is Tiarra Currie and I was born and raised in Washington, DC but currently live in NYC. I am a Black Girl Nerd in six inch pumps. I think now more than ever it’s important for us as young black women to be empowered by being educated. I am 22 years old and have accomplished so much already that I get a little scared of what is next for me. I graduated from Syracuse University in May of 2012 with a major in psychology and triple minor in sociology, child and family studies, and early childhood. I recently graduated from Teachers College Columbia University in May of 2013 with my Masters in Clinical Psychology.

What’s next? 

I want to work for a year, and then go back to graduate school for my PhD. I dream of being called Dr. Currie. My research and clinical interests focus on child trauma and adult psychopathology as well as parental boding and nurturing and how that affects a child’s self esteem and performance in future interpersonal relationships. I promised my friends I would change the world and I am a woman of my word. I made a commitment when I was in the 8th grade that I was going to be a psychologist and I was going to help as many children as I can live amazing lives. Some of my greatest experiences have been studying abroad in Paris where I did research on the psychology behind a color blind society and its effects on the children. Last summer I worked in Miami with the Center for Children and Families working as a counselor with children diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, and Conduct Disorder.

My current positions are a Content Analysis Intern with Girl Scouts National Headquarters, a Transitional Independent Living Counselor with Girls Educational and Mentoring Services, a Respite Worker/Skills Builder with Bendel Youth Empowerment Program, and a research intern with Beth Israel Medical Center in the psychiatry department. I am also a mentor with the Woman to Woman program under NY Youth at Risk where I have a little 16 year old mentee. Not many people can work 3 jobs with an internship and other commitments but when your living your purpose sleep is not as important. I am grateful to have found my passion and God’s purpose for me very early in my life. I am excited for some up and coming projects I am working on surrounding the idea of being Perfectly Beautiful. I say “I am perfectly beautiful searching for truth through my own path, telling my own story”. So I am working on an Academy for Girls and a Back to School Tour that encourages young girls to look at their life, the good and the ugly, and just see how beautiful they are. I want girls to be inspired by their own story and not feel the need to go searching somewhere else.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsTiarraCurrie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiarra.currie

Instagram: http://instagram.com/mstiarracurrie#

Linkedin :www.linkedin.com/in/mstiarracurrie/

Student Spotlight, http://www.syr.edu/currentstudents/events/StudentSpotlightTiarra.html, Syracuse University (March 2012)

Feature Interview, http://www.damselsinsuccess.com/feature-interview-tiarra-currie/, (December 2012)

Feature Interview, http://www.classycareergirl.com/2013/01/how-i-survived-grad-school/, (January 2013)

Women’s History Month Spotlight, http://dangerouslee.biz/2013/03/27/womens-history-month-spotlight-tiarra-currie-graduate-student-residential-counselor-respite-worker/, (March 2013)

Young CEO’s: Tiarra Currie Magazine Feature, http://swagher.net/2013/05/04/young-ceos-tiarra-currie/, (May 2013)