School of Social Work

Rayelle earned her Associate of Arts in psychology from Sacramento City College, where she competed as a dual‑sport collegiate athlete in basketball and track. She went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Trinity International University, where she earned a basketball scholarship to continue her collegiate athletic career. She earned her Master of Social Work from the Simmons School of Social Work in 2020.

Her early career included being a multi-systemic therapist, providing support for families and their youth who were at risk of out‑of‑home placement, serving as a mental health therapist at a counseling and autism center in Colorado, and supporting military families as a military family life counselor at a local elementary and high school. During this time, Rayelle also coached a high school girls’ basketball team in Colorado. These practice experiences directly inform her research, grounding her work in the realities faced by youth, families, coaches and communities.

As a practitioner‑researcher with experience as a collegiate athlete, basketball coach and skills trainer, Rayelle’s work combines sport and social work. Her research examines how youth sport systems can be transformed to better support the well‑being of athletes. She is particularly focused on disparities in access to sport for Black girls and on improving the quality of youth sport programming.

In her free time, Rayelle’s interests include competitively playing basketball with her husband, coaching basketball, traveling with her siblings, spending time with her nieces and nephews, collecting plants and listening to music.

Areas of interest

• Adolescent and Youth Development
• Youth Sport and Quality Sports Programming
• Child Welfare
• Communities and Neighborhoods
• Community-Based Participatory Research
• Family
• Mental Health
• Race and Ethnicity
• Social Work Practice

Education and credentials

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Virginia
M.S.W., Simmons School of Social Work
B.S., Trinity International University
A.A., Sacramento Community College

View Rayelle Ross' curriculum vitae.