Student Employee Spotlight: Cecilia Avila Mercado

Cecilia Avila Mercado sitting outside

A senior majoring in psychology, Cecilia Avila Mercado has grown from a freshman struggling to find her footing into someone who now helps her peers be successful in their own educational pursuits while making a positive impact on the larger community.

As a student employee in the financial aid office, Mercado walks students through the financial aid process, helping them complete their FAFSA application, talking to them about scholarship opportunities and referring them to financial aid counselors. 

Mercado is often the first point of contact for students needing assistance as they navigate financial aid. She has served in this role since 2022. 

“A big part of the job is calming down students,” Mercado said. “A lot of the time, students share all of their anxieties with me and I spend time calming them down before we even start talking about financial aid.”

Raised in Sanger, Mercado is the first in her family to attend a four-year university. She said, “The admissions processes were new to [my parents] and I was kind of lonely when applying to college. Navigating financial aid was a challenge on its own…I was filled with anxiety and, to be honest, cried a lot throughout the entire application process.”

“I know what it’s like to have a black cloud of uncertainty looming over your head. I love that I get to send students away with a new confidence about their futures and often help them solve problems other people may not be able to help them with.”

Landing at Fresno State was not something Mercado had always envisioned for herself, but it has given her the opportunity to make a positive impact on the community, particularly with young children.

Volunteering as a special friend through the Hinds Hospice Circle of Friends, Mercado engages in talk and play therapy to connect with kids ages 3-12 who have lost a loved one and are in need of support. 

“Being a special friend at Hinds Hospice has been a great experience and the kids have made such an impact on me; I can only hope that’s true vice-versa,” Mercado said.

Mercado has also been able to support children through her research and clinical work with the university. 

“Most of the research I’ve been involved with during my time at Fresno State has been with our department of applied behavioral analysis,” Mercado said. “The work I’ve done with [Dr. Jackson and her graduate students] revolves around studying the effects of various behavioral strategies when working with children who have been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities.”

Additionally, Mercado has gained experience working as a behavioral interventionist in Fresno State’s Applied Behavior Analysis Services Clinic.

As she looks ahead toward starting her final year as an undergraduate student this fall, Mercado is preparing to apply to graduate programs. She aspires to become a school psychologist. 

“I would like to work primarily with middle or high school students. I feel as though many professionals are opposed to working with that age group, but I feel they are the ages that need the most support,” Mercado said. 

“I would like to be a pillar of support and protection for students struggling through their teen years. I understand how hard being a kid can get sometimes, even when everyone is telling you it should be the easiest point in your life. I just hope to make as big of a difference in the lives of my future students as the staff members at my school who helped me through the worst points of my teen years did in mine.”

by MARISA MATA

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Do you have news you would like to share with the community? Let us know! Contact our Communications Coordinator Marisa Mata at 559.278.6560 or marisamata@csufresno.edu to get started!

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