Staff Stories: Qiana Watson

Helping students grow from the ground up

By Grace DePaull

There were mornings when Qiana Watson sat quietly on a crowded train, her fingers wrapped around a flimsy paper cup of tea, slowly nibbling on a single bagel. It was all she could afford for the day – fuel to get her through college classes, hours of work and the long ride home to her aunt’s couch in Peekskill, New York.

Now, six years into her role as a community liaison for first generation and low-income students at Cornell Health’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Watson’s days look very different. But that young woman on the train still rides with her today – shaping the compassion, commitment and vision she brings to students across campus.  

“I knew what it felt like to not always match up with your peers based on lived experience, where you grew up or your financial circumstances,” she said. “So, I really wanted to provide the kind of support I wish I had gotten when I was a college student.”

While Watson wasn’t technically a first-generation college student, her experience mirrored that of many first-gen and low-income students she now supports. She attended Marist College – one of many institutions to offer her academic scholarships to help cover tuition.

“I was constantly working, trying to come up with money to pay for my classes, commuting on the train, sometimes without a ticket – just praying no one would ask me for it,” Watson said. “I felt like I was always just surviving. But I was determined to make it through. And so, once this opportunity at Cornell presented itself, I knew this was work that I had to do.” 

Today, Watson’s role goes beyond traditional counseling. She focuses on meeting students where they’re at by encouraging staff to bring resources directly to students in the places they live, study and gather. Cornell’s “Let’s Talk” sessions do just that, offering informal and confidential consultations across campus and online. 

“Most clinicians aren’t out in the community the way I am,” she said. “But I believe in pushing services into student spaces, so mental health support doesn’t feel like a destination. It becomes part of their environment. If you only have ten minutes between classes, that space needs to be close by.”

Always connecting with students and collaborating across the university, Watson is most energized by finding creative ways to support students holistically. 

Her creativity is rooted in another lifelong passion – the arts. Since she was young, Watson has performed in community theater, starting in her church and continuing as a local actress today. For her, theater isn’t just a hobby – it’s a way of healing.

“Theater is what really excites me, that’s my self-care,” she said. “It rejuvenates me and helps me feel whole, relaxed and like I can keep doing this heavy work because I get to pour into this vessel through the arts, and that’s what I love.”

She credits her creative background with keeping her curious, inspired and imaginative in her student support work. Whether she’s exploring new ways to collaborate or thinking outside the box to expand mental health programming, Watson draws on her artistic lens to keep pushing boundaries. 

“I’m always dreaming,” she said. “And I think that’s the beauty of being a creative. You never lose that imaginative side you have as a kid, where anything is possible. It gives me a very active imagination. I’m always asking ‘why’ and ‘what if,’ and thinking about ways we can reach students.”

Awarded the 2025 Tomás Bautista Mapúa Award for Outstanding OADI Staff Partner, Watson has prioritized being accessible, building trust and staying present in the spaces where first-gen and low-income students need support most. 

In fact, she urges students to seek out support, ask questions and lean into the community.  

“We are communal beings,” Watson said. “We do better when we work together. So, find your people, ask questions and try the things that spark your curiosity,” she said. 

Because for Watson, the goal is never just to help students survive college, but rather, to give them the space and support to truly thrive.

“At the end of the day, the students ground me,” Watson said. “Knowing that I have planted even the smallest seed that was able to take root and contribute to who they are becoming and how they see themselves really does my heart well.”