BMCC Welcomes Neda Hajizadeh as Director of Counseling Center

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) has named Neda Hajizadeh, director of counseling at the BMCC Counseling Center. The center, a unit of the Office of Student Affairs, provides counseling and mental health services to BMCC students and consultative services to faculty and staff.

Hajizadeh comes to BMCC from Marymount Manhattan College where she was director of the counseling and wellness center. She has also worked in private practice and served as a staff psychologist at New York University in Madrid as well as the campus in New York City.

Hajizadeh earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Fordham University in 2009. Before that, she completed an International Baccalaureate from the International School of Hamburg as well as an earlier Bachelors of Arts degree from Skidmore College. She is fluent in Farsi and proficient in Spanish and German.

“My experience as an immigrant woman and first-generation college student has taught me that every problem has a solution to it, but it takes creativity, patience and resilience to find it,” said Hajizadeh.

She said BMCC’s psychological counselors can assist students who are experiencing barriers in achieving academic success.

“We know that each BMCC student has a life outside of their education which at times has a great impact on their ability to perform to the best of their potential. The psychological counselors are here to listen, validate and offer guidance with one common goal: academic and personal well-being.”

Hajizadeh acknowledges that most BMCC students often experience financial stressors and many of them work at time-consuming jobs in order to afford their education. She encourages BMCC students to familiarize themselves with the many resources on campus, so if they feel overwhelmed, they know where to go for support.

“BMCC students should reach out to the counseling center before personal problems begin interfering with academic success.  Often, early signs of feeling overwhelmed include missing classes or falling behind in coursework and other responsibilities,” said Hajizadeh. “If a student comes to a counselor early, it is more likely that they can make a change that will have a more immediate impact. Having said this though, it is never too late to get help. We are here to listen to and support all BMCC students.”