Maria De La Cruz

Maria De La Cruz, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLUSA). She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master's in Clinical Psychology from St. Mary's University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Her research focuses on mental health interventions for college students from marginalized groups, veterans, trauma survivors, and substance use concerns. She also studies brain processes related to learning, cognition, stress, and aging. Dr. De La Cruz emphasizes rigorous pedagogy, student-teacher relationships, and multi-modal learning strategies in her teaching philosophy. She is a retired School Psychology licensure holder and holds a Texas K-12 Science Teaching Certificate.

Her awards include the 'Mentor of the Year' recognition. Outside academia, she enjoys family gatherings, reading, hiking, gardening, and traveling.