PhD Student in Trauma-Informed Educational Practices at National University
Certified Yoga Teacher (200-hour) and trained somatic psychedelic facilitator
Valenciá’s work lives at the intersection of education, somatics, culture, and productivity. With a Master’s in Special Education and ongoing doctoral research, she explores how trauma, neurodivergence, and lived experience shape academic persistence and creative output.
Research Interests
Cannabis use motives and academic outcomes among adult learners with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and neurodiversity at HBCUs, with attention to executive functioning, task initiation, and protective coping patterns.
Currently Developing
Growcery Garden — a trauma-informed, neurodivergent-aware productivity studio rooted in G.R.O.W. (Ground, Restore, Organize, Work Well), offering structured virtual work sessions and monthly Maryland nature gatherings.
Looking Forward to Blogging
The Reformation of a Scholartista: My PhDiary from Jerusalem to Harlem — reflections on scholarship, identity, movement, and building creative institutions in real time.
Valenciá De’La Clay-Bell is a professor of Women & Gender Studies at Morgan State University, PhD student in Trauma-Informed Educational Practices, Certified Yoga Teacher (200-hour), and trained somatic psychedelic facilitator.
Born in Harlem and raised in Greenburgh, New York, she is the author of G.R.O.W. Productivity Guide: 100 Self-Paced Strategies and co-founder of multiple nonprofits, including an international arts initiative serving historically marginalized youth.
A former middle grades teacher, Valenciá became known for aligning her classroom practice with public storytelling, contributing to a broader teacher social media movement that centered student voice, mental health, and the lived realities of education.
Her current research explores cannabis use motives and academic outcomes among adult learners with Adverse Childhood Experiences and neurodiversity at HBCUs.
She is the founder of Growcery Garden, a trauma-informed, neurodivergent-aware productivity studio offering structured virtual work sessions and monthly Maryland nature gatherings designed to support executive functioning, creative momentum, and regulated productivity.
Her work bridges scholarship, somatics, and creative discipline — helping learners, educators, and independent creatives build sustainable rhythms for growth.
