This paper explores the life and accomplishments of Martha Bernal, a clinical psychologist, and her contributions to the field of psychology. Martha Bernal was born in San Antonio, Texas on April 13, 1931 to parents, Alicia and Enrique, who emigrated from Mexico as young adults. She was raised in El Paso, Texas and grew up immersed in her parents’ traditional Mexican culture, while simultaneously having the bicultural experience of a Mexican American. She had desires of advancing her education, but this was frowned upon by her traditional father. Her father did not encourage her to get an education, and didn’t support her wanting to go to a local college because he felt it was a woman’s job to get married and have kids and that an education
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Not only did she point out problems, but she offered solutions. As a Latina, I am incredibly inspired by Martha Bernal and immensely grateful for all the work she did to make sure that people like me could have a successful career in clinical psychology. The fact that she didn’t let anyone, even her own family, keep her from reaching her dreams and obtaining her goals is amazing and I can only hope to be half as great of a psychologist, and woman, that she was. She had many obstacles in her life, one of them being how difficult it was for her to receive her graduate training, and she wanted to ensure that other students of color wouldn’t have such a hard time with the same issue. I am very grateful for her involvement in that topic and its betterment because it makes it easier for me, and many others like me, to pursue our goals and continue our education with less restrictions than those that she faced. Before this paper, I had never heard of Martha Bernal, which is a shame, but I’m glad to have learned so much about her and have the opportunity to be inspired by her. I think we need more acknowledgement of great women in psychology and people like Martha Bernal who will fight for what they believe in and won’t stop until they achieve greatness, not only for themselves, but for others as
Not only did she point out problems, but she offered solutions. As a Latina, I am incredibly inspired by Martha Bernal and immensely grateful for all the work she did to make sure that people like me could have a successful career in clinical psychology. The fact that she didn’t let anyone, even her own family, keep her from reaching her dreams and obtaining her goals is amazing and I can only hope to be half as great of a psychologist, and woman, that she was. She had many obstacles in her life, one of them being how difficult it was for her to receive her graduate training, and she wanted to ensure that other students of color wouldn’t have such a hard time with the same issue. I am very grateful for her involvement in that topic and its betterment because it makes it easier for me, and many others like me, to pursue our goals and continue our education with less restrictions than those that she faced. Before this paper, I had never heard of Martha Bernal, which is a shame, but I’m glad to have learned so much about her and have the opportunity to be inspired by her. I think we need more acknowledgement of great women in psychology and people like Martha Bernal who will fight for what they believe in and won’t stop until they achieve greatness, not only for themselves, but for others as