Laurel Benjamin (she/her) is a Clinical Psychology PhD student at the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program under the mentorship of Dr. Lauren Brookman-Frazee. Her research seeks to address treatment disparities for youth with ASD/IDD from underserved populations by disseminating and implementing evidence-based practices in community settings. Through her research, outreach, and current mentorship efforts, Laurel seeks to increase educational access for historically-marginalized students. She hopes to pursue a career as a principal investigator who uses community-based participatory approaches to elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and bridge racial/ethnic disparities in higher education.