Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. When Sravya Gummaluri, MA, NCC, LAC, first experienced a lack of community and belonging as a counseling student, she decided to do something about it.  

“At times, I haven't always had the best experiences, like just not being seen as somebody who could really amount to much in the field. Especially being a marginalized student and woman of color, that's what kind of inspired me to speak out and foster community for other marginalized students feeling similarly,” Gummaluri shares.  

Gummaluri is a 2022 NBCC Foundation Doctoral Fellow and is a doctoral student at The George Washington University. She also received the Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) 2025 'Ohana Award and Social Justice Research Grant, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) 2024 Emerging Graduate Student Leadership Award, and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) 2023 Outstanding Doctoral Student Leadership Award, and became a 2023–2024 Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Fellow.  

During her time in the counseling profession, Gummaluri has found opportunities to lead the profession in many ways. In AMCD, she has been involved as Chair of the Writer's Consortium and created a community for counseling students. Gummaluri organized bi-weekly meetings, “Write” to the Finish Line, for students from underrepresented communities to write and discuss their work and meet students with similar interests. She also organized various community events through AMCD, such as a BIPOC mental health month panel. She additionally organized events through CSI such as a fundraiser for migrant communities and “I Need a Minute” brave spaces. 

“Being in a space where you can be your holistic self is so important because, I think as marginalized students and counselors, there aren't many spaces where we can be our holistic selves,” she says. “I think really what motivates me is just the injustice that I see, trying to address the oppression and social injustice that’s happening, what we can do, and how we can leverage our power as counselors, counselor educators, and leaders.”  

The NBCC Foundation fellowship is where Gummaluri first found a community where she felt seen and belonged. Gummaluri resolved to create similar spaces for other counseling students.  

“I've been in spaces where I was overlooked as a student. The fellowship program really helped me find my voice and use that to empower other marginalized communities,” she says. “Most importantly, the fellowship program introduced me to some of the kindest individuals and mentors who continue to empower me every day.” 

Gummaluri plans to become a counselor educator, support clients recovering from trauma and addiction, and pursue further leadership opportunities. Throughout her professional journey, Gummaluri’s goal is to continue creating spaces where counselors-in-training can be their authentic selves and to address systems of oppression and sociopolitical issues present in counseling spaces and the larger society. Additionally, Gummaluri aims to empower migrant and BIPOC communities through her research and scholarship.   

Community is vital for counselors, Gummaluri shares. Counselors may experience emotional burnout or other struggles, just as any other individual, and communities can help foster resilience and strength during challenging times. 

“No one's a perfect advocate, or a perfect leader, or a perfect counselor,” Gummaluri says. “For me, it’s about creating that space to grow. You can come in as a person who has experienced trauma or rough life experiences and that doesn’t make you any less of a counselor. You can come in as that and still find that sense of belonging in this field, and work on it, and eventually foster community to be able to empower others.”