Malik Merritte is the graduate professional assistant for the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being (CWB). Malik is a second-year graduate student of George Mason University’s Counseling and Development program, with a concentration in masters in clinical mental health. He is originally from Richmond, Virginia and before joining Mason, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Old Dominion University. At Mason, Malik is currently assisting the athletic department on a project helping athletes transition from athletics to life after college. Malik has a strong passion for sports. He strives to make a positive impact and break the stigma around mental health and sports.
Malik is currently participating as a graduate research assistant in a cross-university study with Mason and Western Michigan University. The IRB-approved study led by Dr. Ngadjui and Dr. Steen is “Assimilation, Acculturation, Integration: A Q-Methodology Study of Racially Minoritized Faculty Understanding of Professional Identity Development in Counselor Education.” Malik co-presented this research study at the 2023 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision National Conference in Denver, Colorado, and the 2023 European Branch of the American Counseling Association Conference in Leiden, the Netherlands.