Anticipated Graduation: May 2014

The past four years at Stony Brook University have given me the opportunity to learn more than I ever could, not only in terms of academics but also about myself and the professional that I one day aspire to be. I have learned to recognize and benefit from an open mind, knowledge and skills in multiple disciplines, as well as the ability to draw on one or more fields of learning to do the work at hand effectively. Having a lack of focus in terms of career is less of a problem, but more of an opportunity to explore many of the things I am enthusiastic about. Not being locked into a particular career path early on has given me the ability to consider the vast possibilities of studying in multiple disciplines – Arts and Sciences – as well as tackling head-on my wide array of academic and personal interests. As I look forward to entering graduate school, I am committed to building on my interdisciplinary interests and skill sets, while continuing to learn more as time progresses.

• Biology and Chemistry concentration

After my first year of studying psychology at Stony Brook University, I was faced with the decision to remain along the Bachelor of Arts track and pick up a minor, or to change my major entirely. In a moment of brazen confidence, I switched to the Bachelor of Science track instead. This was a considerably more challenging option in my mind but I was willing to embrace it; I found the information learned in science classes to be much more rewarding and applicable towards future usage. In addition to the idea of studying science as seeming more practical, I felt a certain sense of security in that it was also personally satisfying. As I began to take more biopsychology-oriented classes, my interests became more focused around integrative neuroscience and the biological mechanisms of psychological phenomena. Classes such as Human Brain Function and Drugs and the Brain exposed me to some of the most interesting material I’ve ever had the pleasure to be exposed to, and did a wonderful justice in sparking trains of thought that would have never else come to fruition. The concepts and ideas posed in linking biology, psychology and neuroscience requires a particular mindset that challenges you not only to think outside the box, but also view yourself and the world around you through an entirely different framework. Psychology requires one to adapt a compassionate view of the world, which creates an intriguing take on looking into certain phenomena when this is coupled with the tenets of physically represented science.

• Minor in Writing and Rhetoric

Throughout college, I did my best effort to continue pursuing writing, one of my longest standing passions. After starting to independently write at length near the end of 2011, the beginning of my sophomore year at Stony Brook, I decided to take Fiction Writing as a course in the upcoming semester. At first I felt unprepared as a writer, especially in the realm of fiction, but it was something that I again enjoyed working towards. Satisfied with the outcome of the course, I was motivated to continue writing on my own, and even take more courses within the department. During the fall 2013 semester, my decision to take the Personal Essay as a course ultimately motivated me to pursue a writing minor. This was a highly rewarding decision for a number of reasons. Aside from my personal enthusiasm for writing, the best part about adopting the writing minor was being given the opportunity to truly grow as a writer, in a way that would have been impossible to facilitate on my own. The value of the impact that writing courses in college have had on my personal skill is almost immeasurable, and I am highly fortunate to have been given the opportunity to be exposed to so many of the great minds that surround me. Additionally, these courses promoted me to reinvest faith in the idea that although I may not be able to pursue a career as just a writer, there are a number of ways in which I could integrate it into my life at any time and embrace it not just as a hobby, but in a multidisciplinary fashion.

• Dean’s List, three selections: Spring 2011, Fall 2012 & Fall 2013
• Active member of Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society
• National Society of Collegiate Scholars Member
• Supplemental Coursework at Nassau Community College, Summer 2011