“I’ve been that one friend, ever since middle school, that people came to whenever they needed anything. I’m attentive. I’m an active listener. I didn’t know that psychology was something I could pursue until I took Social Psychology at the University of Maryland the summer before my senior year of high school. I tacked on the pre-medicine part as well because, while my main thing is being a therapist — I want to talk with my clients — psychiatrists understand more in-depth the biological aspect [of mental health] as well as the mental aspect. I wanted to tie that together and be more well-rounded. I know that most psychiatrists see their patients for five or 10 minutes and prescribe their medicine, but when it comes to psychology or therapy in general, it doesn’t always have to be medical-based. I’ve met with some faculty who know psychiatrists who see patients [for longer sessions] regularly, so I’m optimistic I can pursue this.”
He works in the lab of Associate Professor of Psychology Connie Wolfe …
“I wasn’t even sure I would do [research], but I took her Contemporary Racism class, and that really interested me in the work that she did. We are studying the sense of mattering as a person of color at a predominantly white institution and what factors might predict that sense of mattering, such as social-emotional health skills. The lab did interviews at first, before I joined, and then we did a survey study as well, of white students and students of color. Last year, we did a bunch of analysis, and we’re talking about next steps now: What other variables do we want to look at? Doing that research inspired my thesis — and I didn’t think I’d be doing a thesis, either — that I’m working on right now. It’s about the relationship between resilience and people of color. Resilience is an important skill for everyone to have, but having too much resilience may actually be a bad thing — you might experience numbness, or lack of empathy, or feeling like you can’t rely on anybody. I want to look at, how do you find that nice middle ground?”
… and that experience helped him decide to become a writing tutor.
“If I had the time, I would minor in so many things. I have so many interests. I really wanted to minor in English because I have a passion for writing and I’d like to do more of it. I was recommended to be a writing tutor by my first-year seminar professor, [Professor of Biology Erika] Iyengar, but I felt like it would just be too much on top of my course load. After joining [Wolfe’s] lab, I started pursuing my interests more and more — things that I thought I wouldn’t be doing, I started doing. Working in the Writing Center is cool, seeing so many perspectives. If I’m given a prompt, I think, ‘Here’s how I would do it,’ but seeing how the students answer it in so many different ways and different directions, I’m like, ‘I never thought about it that way.’ Some of them may think that they’re bad writers, but I’m like, ‘No, you have really great ideas. They’re just unpolished.’ Coming to the Writing Center really helps them polish them.”
He’s also a resident advisor (RA) …
“My first semester being an RA was in the spring of my sophomore year — I was an alternate who got taken off the wait list when someone went abroad. It was weird because all of my residents were older than me. After I had my first floor meetingwith them, they really liked me. Literally, they applauded me and said, ‘You’re going to be a cool RA.’ I built a good rapport with all of them. I’ve genuinely enjoyed my experience being an RA. It changes what it means to be a college student. Being a college student, you don’t really feel any pressure to take care of anyone, but being an RA, there are people who see you as a resource.”
… and a member of the Tri Alpha Honor Society for first-generation students.
“When I came [to Muhlenberg], I was on a mission. Sure, I’m going to enjoy my time on campus, but I also know I’m here for an education. My parents have sacrificed a lot for me to even have this opportunity. I don’t see being first-gen as a liability or anything — I see it as motivation. I know many people feel imposter syndrome, but I’ve never really had that experience. I’m in college; I’m here because I worked hard to be here. I would really just love to make my parents proud. I want to be the son they can brag about. And I also want them to reap the benefits of everything that I’ll accomplish in the future.”
“When I came [to Muhlenberg], I was on a mission. Sure, I’m going to enjoy my time on campus, but I also know I’m here for an education. My parents have sacrificed a lot for me to even have this opportunity. I don’t see being first-gen as a liability or anything — I see it as motivation.”
Through graduate and continuing studies programs and corporate partnerships, Muhlenberg helps fuel the city’s and the Lehigh Valley’s significant growth.
