Quinandria Lee: Connecting Cultural Identity, Community, and Mental Health Care

Quinandria Lee ’16 has built a career focused on helping individuals and families access mental health care that recognizes their experiences and communities. A graduate of Sociology, with a minor in African American Studies, Lee carries the cultural awareness and community-centered perspective she developed at the College of Charleston into her work in education, community mental health, and private practice.

Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Lee is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist and Professional School Counselor, as well as CEO and Founder of Curated Space Counseling & Consulting. Her work includes therapeutic services for Black and Brown men, women, and children, alongside programs that make mental health resources more accessible and approachable.

For Lee, African American Studies helped strengthen both her professional perspective and her understanding of herself, connecting classroom learning to her family’s history and her Gullah Geechee heritage.

Reconnecting With Her Gullah Geechee Roots

Although Lee grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, she says she entered college with gaps in her knowledge and appreciation of her Gullah Geechee roots.

“Growing up, our accent and history were often minimized or criticized, which made it difficult to fully recognize and embrace their significance,” she explains.

African American Studies encouraged her to become more curious and intentional about learning that history. What she encountered in the classroom soon became the starting point for conversations with her grandmother, a lifelong resident of downtown Charleston.

Lee remembers excitedly calling her grandmother to ask about historical events and figures she had studied. Her grandmother offered additional context and personal stories, connecting those lessons to the lives of people in Lee’s own family and community.

“Those conversations helped me understand that the history I was learning in the classroom was not distant or abstract, it was deeply connected to my family, my community, and my own identity.”

Through those connections, Lee developed a greater sense of pride in her heritage and a deeper appreciation for preserving and honoring Gullah Geechee history and culture.

Bringing AAST Into Mental Health Care

Lee sees a direct connection between her African American Studies education and her approach to mental health care.

Across education, community mental health, and private practice, she emphasizes the importance of centering the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. That means considering not only which services are available, but also whether people can understand, trust, and use them.

“I value creating spaces where information and resources are culturally relevant, accessible, and easy for the communities I serve to understand and use.”

Her work includes providing therapeutic services to Black and Brown men, women, and children, as well as developing programs, workshops, and events that increase access to therapists of color.

Through these efforts, Lee aims to challenge perceptions of therapy and create greater comfort around seeking support. She also connects individuals and families with community resources that may otherwise go underutilized.

“Across each area of my work, I strive to make mental health care more culturally responsive, approachable, and connected to the needs of the communities I serve,” she says.

Creating Spaces for Girls and Families

Lee’s commitment to accessible mental health support extends into her community leadership.

She is the founder of the “She’s THAT Girl” Conference, a community mental health-based event for teen girls and their families. The conference brings her focus on mental health into a setting designed around young people and the people supporting them.

She also serves as a Mental Health Subject Matter Expert and youth-centered Advisor for the Black Girl Health Collective.

These roles reflect the same priorities that guide her counseling work: centering community experiences, building trust, and making mental health information relevant to the people receiving it.

Her areas of interest include mental health, burnout, finding identity, and community building.

Lessons She Carries Forward

When reflecting on the influence of African American Studies, Lee’s experiences point to three connected principles.

History is personal. Conversations with her grandmother showed Lee that the history she studied was part of her own family’s experience. Learning about Gullah Geechee history became a way to better understand herself and the community that shaped her.

Access requires cultural understanding. In her professional work, Lee emphasizes resources that are culturally relevant and easy to understand and use. Her approach considers how trust, representation, and community experiences influence a person’s willingness to seek support.

Community and representation matter. Lee remembers African American Studies as a space where belonging was as meaningful as academic learning. That experience continues to inform her commitment to creating spaces that center marginalized voices.

Together, these principles connect her personal development with her work as a therapist, counselor, and community leader.

Leadership and Opportunities for Connection

Lee’s professional and community roles include:

• CEO and Founder, Curated Space Counseling & Consulting

• Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist

• Professional School Counselor

• Founder, “She’s THAT Girl” Conference

• Mental Health Subject Matter Expert and youth-centered Advisor, Black Girl Health Collective

She is also interested in supporting students and the African American Studies community through mentoring, providing internships, guest speaking and facilitation, and networking.

Those opportunities offer ways to connect students with her experience across education, community mental health, private practice, and entrepreneurship.

An Education That Strengthens Identity and Belonging

Lee encourages Black students to consider African American Studies, whether through a major, minor, or individual courses.

She sees the program as an opportunity to support personal and interpersonal development while deepening students’ understanding of Black history, experiences, and contributions.

For her, its value also includes the community students can find within it.

“There is also something powerful about having a space where you are not the minority, especially while attending a PWI.”

At a predominantly white institution, that sense of representation helped make her education personally meaningful.

“For me, that sense of community and representation was just as meaningful as what I learned in the classroom,” Lee says.

Her career shows how those experiences can continue beyond college. From reconnecting with her Gullah Geechee roots to creating culturally responsive mental health services, Lee carries forward an approach grounded in identity, belonging, and care for the communities she serves.