Why are you pursuing this degree? What first got you interested?
I am pursuing my BS in psychology because it gives me the biggest chance to make a difference in our world. Coming to Suffolk, I was a business analytics major, and although I enjoyed the work, I never felt fully fulfilled. After taking Intro to Psychology with Professor Vatcher my sophomore year, we discussed my concerns, and she encouraged me to switch my major. I have not looked back since.
Why did you choose Suffolk?
I chose Suffolk for three reasons. The first reason is the immense amount of potential that a student has by going to school in Boston. The job opportunities, connections, and even the history that Boston and Suffolk have to offer made this a top choice school for me. The second reason is that Suffolk has a wide range of majors. I had been looking at other schools that were more specific to the arts, or the sciences, and although those schools did appeal to me, I wanted to give myself a bit of safety in case the major I intended to pursue fell through. The final reason was I wanted to run collegiately. I had gotten a few offers from other schools, but it wasn’t until I had my first meeting with Coach Feldman that I learned about the goals he was trying to achieve and what he had already achieved. The heights he saw me getting to both as a person and an athlete made coming to Suffolk the ideal choice.
What kind of public service experiences have you had at Suffolk?
The course Developmental Psychopathology just further solidified the work that I want to go into, which is working with adolescents with anxiety. My work in this class was put to the test when I worked at Boston Children’s Hospital this past summer with kids aged 11-17. It was very fulfilling work that made me want to do more work like this for my career.
Are there any faculty who have significantly affected your Suffolk experience?
By and large, the one faculty member who I would say is my mentor is Professor Vatcher. Since taking my first psychology course, she saw the enthusiasm I had for the subject and continually fed my interest time and time again. When I approached her about the potential of me switching my major to psychology, she highly recommended it and said I would be losing potential if I did not switch. Hearing that made me realize the amount of support that she has to offer to not just me, but any student she has. I will fully say that I would not be where I am today had it not been for the support and confidence of Professor Vatcher.
Are you involved in any student organizations or activities?
I am on the cross country and track teams here at Suffolk, and I feel like my time on these teams has taught and shown me that hard work and consistency pays off. Knowing that I might not get something right away does not bother me, because I know that I would rather fail by putting in 110% effort, than not even trying in the first place.
What are your future career ambitions or goals and how will your degree or experiences at Suffolk help you achieve them?
My future career ambitions are to become a licensed counselor and work with kids with anxiety. I know that there are so many facets of psychology that need counselors in them, but this one is the most enticing. My degree and my time at Suffolk will help me achieve these goals through the work I've done both in and out of the classroom. All staff in the psychology department are skilled in setting their students up for success. I'm confident in my ability to use the information I've learned for the better.