Throughout my academic career, I have been motivated to understand human thought, feeling, and behavior. I initially pursued a degree in psychiatric nursing because of my interest in people, which ensured my passion for understanding human behavior. After a semester, I realized that I was more interested in studying the complexities of individual behavior itself, rather than its application to nursing. This then led me to psychology, which is where I found my true intellectual home. I learned that psychology varied from exploring the origins of serious mental illnesses to investigating learning disabilities in children. I was intrigued and amazed at all the various topics that could be analyzed through the lenses of psychology.
Furthermore, I also began to grasp the far-reaching implications that psychology had within schools and communities. In particular, I took notice to the beneficial effects that school psychologists can make on students through classes such as Child Development, Inclusion of Exceptional Children, and Characteristics of the Behaviorally Disordered, which was taught by a licensed school psychologist. I had the opportunity to observe a child study meeting and an IEP meeting at a local elementary school. I also had the opportunity to participate in a mock IEP meeting in class, as well as administer a pseudonymous assessment with rating manuals for a case study report. It was then that I knew there was nothing I wanted more than to be a part of a profession that links mental health to learning and behavior to ameliorate problems academically, emotionally, and socially. The field of school psychology has such an exciting potential for continued expansion in both research and practical application, and it is my professional goal to be a part of the growth in both aforementioned aspects.
In my undergraduate career, I have gained research experience that will be valuable for graduate studies. For two years, I worked with Dr. Shell on her project exploring the longitudinal relations between shyness, social relationships, academic adjustment, and psychopathology during the college transition. I was heavily involved in various aspects of the research process, in which I gained skills on contacting and testing participants, collecting data, and research design. This experience then influenced me to submit a proposal for my own independent research project. I was awarded a Summer Scholar Research Fellowship to conduct an independent research project for my proposal identifying shyness and parental relationship quality as predictors of friendship. Through this independent research, I acquired knowledge on conducting literature review, forming hypotheses, analyzing data, and manuscript writing.
I had the honor to present my research in form of poster sessions at the 2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium at UVa-Wise in Wise, Virginia, the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) in Charleston, South Carolina, the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges Conference (COPLAC) in Aiken, South Carolina, as well as oral presentations at the 2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium at UVa-Wise and the National Council on Undergraduate Research in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I am currently working on revising a manuscript with my research mentor, Dr. Shell, entitled “Effects of shyness and friendship on socioemotional adjustment during the college transition” that has been submitted to the journal Personal Relationships and received a revise and resubmit. The opportunity to perform and present this research was invaluable, particularly to further develop the foundation of my skills and training in preparation for graduate school.
Throughout my undergraduate career, I also gained valuable experience working with children and adolescents. I volunteered at a settlement school for underprivileged children to teach and improve their emotional and behavioral skills through engaging activities. I also created and led a sociology workshop for the Girls Day in STEM-H program at my college that encourages young girls to pursue STEM-H careers. I also volunteered for the Being Engaged to Achieve Reading program at Niswonger Children’s Hospital, where I volunteered at an elementary school for children who are six or more months below their standard reading levels. As a volunteer reading tutor, I provided individual and small group sessions to work on writing, reading, and listening assignments to further develop children’s understanding and interest in reading. These practical experiences working to better children’s problems both academically and mentally further solidified my choice to pursue school psychology.
After graduation, I worked as a youth counselor for older adolescents impacted by mental disorders and developmental disabilities, who were transitioning out of foster care and into independent living. As a youth counselor, I provided counseling and guidance to progress behavior, pro-social skills development, and adaptive functioning to ensure a successful transition. I am currently working as a registered behavior technician with children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, and other mental health diagnoses. As a registered behavior technician with training in applied behavior analysis, I am an active participant in the therapeutic environment. I teach language and communication, social skills, adaptive skills, and pre-academic skills. Furthermore, I am responsible for the direct implementation of behavior-analytic services, which allows me to collect data, chart findings, and provide reports to parents and behavior analysts. With this experience and working under a behavior analyst, I have become familiar with some of the tasks and concepts that school psychologists regularly encounter.
East Carolina University would be an ideal setting for me to continue my studies as a school psychology graduate student. I am interested in your program because of its excellent training in both research and practical experience. Furthermore, I am pursuing an environment where I will be academically challenged and encouraged to pursue scientific knowledge. I am interested in working under the supervision of Dr. Jean A. Golden to expand my knowledge and understanding of the distinctive contributions applied behavior analysis has on the assessment and treatment of mental disorders not commonly researched by behavior analysts. I hope to gain a better understanding of how the design of applied behavior analysis and its techniques provide treatment for various psychological and behavioral problems. In addition, I am interested in Dr. Brandon K. Schultz’s research evaluating techniques to spread target behavior for disruptive adolescents and emerging adults and which EBI are found most effective. Lastly, Dr. Lori Curtindale’s research in cognitive development during infancy and childhood aligns with my interest in how behavioral and physiological measures affect cognitive results.
Because the School Psychology program at East Carolina University follows the scientist-practitioner model to training its graduate students, this setting would best prepare me for an academic career involving research, but also prepare me to deal with the challenges of being a school psychologist. I believe that my research and work experiences have well prepared me for the challenges of graduate school and a career in school psychology.