Psychology and French Major
Fulbright Scholar
Masters Program in Clinical Psychology and Integrative Psychopathology, University of Paris Descartes

“Goucher psychology courses made me reflect upon and question the intersection of psychology and society in ways I didn’t in other courses and that I haven’t in graduate school.”

What has been your career path since graduating from Goucher?

I graduated in Spring 2017 with a double major in Psychology and French. During my final semester I received a Fulbright Scholarship to begin my postgraduate studies in France. I was accepted into the Masters Program in Clinical Psychology and Integrative Psychopathology at the University of Paris Descartes. I have been living in Paris and attending classes since September and recently began a Psychology internship following two adolescents with Autism at a private school for children who can’t integrate into the typical school system.

What were your most influential and valuable experiences at Goucher?

I still speak about one of the most influential courses I took at Goucher: Cultural Psychology: Black Psychology. Any psychology student who hopes to be a culturally competent psychologist should take this course— not because it is easy work (it is not), but because it is important. Goucher psychology courses made me reflect upon and question the intersection of psychology and society in ways I didn’t in other courses and that I haven’t in graduate school. In addition to this course, some of the most influential experiences I had attending Goucher took place while I studied abroad and interned at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Sector of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital Group and at B-ABA Autisme I Paris. For those like myself who were still taking language courses, some of the study abroad programs can offer amazing opportunities career-wise. Before my internships, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do after graduation, and through them I got a better understanding of the field I was going into and a better orientation of where I wanted to take my studies. The connections I made at Goucher have proven very valuable to this day.

What advice do you have for current students interested in preparing for a path similar to yours? 

Take advantage of the time you have outside of classes and school to involve yourself in activities (professional or otherwise) that you’re passionate about. For me, it was working with fellow immigrants; it was spending my summer vacation working at a camp for children with special needs. The experiences I got before graduating (including HOLA President, Futuro Latino Learning Center (FLLC) Computer Program Coordinator, FLLC Intermediate Computer Literacy Course Instructor, FLLC GED Instructor), not only put me a step ahead professionally , but helped me to better figure out what it is I really want to do and the populations I want to work with.