What is your major, and how far are you in your program?

I am currently working on my Ph.D. here at UNLV in school psychology. I am in my first semester, and I moved here in July, so everything is really fresh and new. I received my Master’s in Education from Temple University in 2010. I was a teacher for ten years, from 2010-2020, most recently in San Francisco.

What do you hope to accomplish after earning your Ph.D.?

I plan to be a practicing school psychologist initially. My number one goal is to work in a public school setting. I prefer to work in a low SES (socio-economic status) area. I think the beautiful thing about getting a Ph.D. is that there’s so much opportunity once you graduate! I don’t even fully understand everything I’ll be able to do with this.

What activities do you like to do in your free time?

I love to travel! Not that I get to do that a ton, especially now that I’m in a Ph.D. program. My husband and I are very excited about being here for that reason. When we moved, people would ask us what we were excited about. They’d ask, “Is it the strip? Is it gambling?” and I was like, "No, it’s all of the nature that surrounds us!" Coming in the middle of the summer, we haven’t done anything yet, but we want to explore the Wetlands Reserve, Red Rock, Valley of Fire, and Death Valley!

Where are you from originally?

I’m from Philadelphia, born and raised. Go Eagles! Go Phillies! I like to throw in a little ‘90s reference, “In northwest Philadelphia, born and raised. In Catholic school is where I spent most of my days.” I lived there until I was 28 and got married, and then I moved with my husband to Ohio when he was accepted into Ohio State University. Something I value a lot about Philly is the community. I feel like there’s a strong sense of community in Philly, and I certainly had a strong sense of community in my own neighborhood and school.

Where and what did you receive your undergraduate degree in? What do you value the most about it?

I received my undergraduate degree in geography from West Chester University. It’s a state school- maybe an hour outside of Philadelphia. The whole experience at West Chester was generally amazing. I’m very lucky that I can say that. I’ve made a lot of good friends that I still have today. I lived on campus, and I had that standard on-campus undergraduate experience. In terms of the geography degree itself, I was in the “city and urban planning” track. I originally thought I wanted to be an urban planner. The degree work gave me a lot of opportunities to do the things I’m currently doing now in my Ph.D. program. I was also the Delaware Valley Geographical Association Student of the Year!

How do you think your role as a Graduate Assistant is helping you reach your career goals?

I’ve taken leadership roles before in the schools I’ve worked at. But, being in a formal supervisory leadership position is definitely giving me a lot of direct experience. Particularly, if I want to be an advocate as a school psychologist, I’m starting that here at the Engineering Tutoring Lab by advocating for what we need. This is done by recruiting tutors and getting the resources we need for the lab. I’ve definitely done some things that weren’t necessarily on the docket but needed to be done. For example, the last cubicle in our office needed a whiteboard. The tutor that was in here commented on it, and I figured out whom I needed to talk to and made the right connections to get the whiteboard!

What are your top three holidays? How different is this list from when you were 9 years old?

As a kid, I had a privileged life. Both of my parents were nurses. They were able to send me to private school, and Christmas was always a big deal. I always had a ton of presents under the tree. Every year we were able to buy a Halloween costume and go out. Thinking back to 9-year-old me, I guess I would say Christmas, Easter, and Halloween were my top holidays because I got things. That’s the mentality of a child. Being a grown-up and knowing what I know now, I realize I was lucky and privileged enough to have all those opportunities. I’d say now that Christmas is still one of my favorite holidays, but it’s more for family. Additionally, I’d say Halloween and then Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Who and/or what are you the most thankful for?

I’d have to say, my family. My husband and I have moved a lot from across the country and back again. We met in Philly, but then he got back in school. So then we moved to Ohio, and then I got a job in California, so we moved to San Francisco. We later had to move back to be with my family in Philly, and now we’re in Vegas. Even though moving is a pain, I’ve really come to appreciate that journey of getting to live in different places. I’m very thankful for him as just a partner in life. I’m also thankful for my family. My father passed away around a year and three months ago and that really put a lot into perspective for me about what’s important. I’m incredibly thankful for the people that are closest to me.  

What is your year and major?

I’m an exploring major with an engineering pathway, and I’m a freshman. I just started college this semester. My dad is a civil engineer, so I thought about following the same path since I have the resources. I come from Guam, so the territory belongs to the U.S., but their land is still developing. I planned to go to college here for four years for engineering and then maybe return to Guam after graduating.