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Honors Program alum Brianna Wingard ’22 tells us about how her time in the Psychology Department helped prepare her for her current role as a Program Coordinator, where she’s able to make a positive impact on the lives of college students:

Following my graduation from Santa Clara University in June of 2022, I traveled, worked at a tutoring company, and held an HR internship at a start-up to continue to explore various careers and passions. In June of 2023, I started working at Stanford University in the area of Residential Education. In this role, I plan social and educational programs for undergraduates in their living communities to cultivate community and belonging, health and well-being, intellectual and personal growth, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. I project manage all aspects of the event planning cycle, from collaborating with students and staff members for event ideation, to managing the finances and marketing communications for the events, to supervising student interns, to executing the programs and gathering feedback. I really enjoy this role as it combines my passions for psychology, public health, and education as I work to help create stronger and more inclusive communities at Stanford.

During my time at Santa Clara University, I took many psychology courses that were pivotal in shaping my values, passions, and career journey. Some psychology courses that have continued to make a lasting impact on me include Psychology of Education, Research Methods Sequence, Cultural Psychology, Human Neuropsychology, Development Psychology, and Personality Psychology. Psychology of Education has opened my eyes to disparities in education, which is critical to know as I work in the field of higher education. Research Methods has strengthened my critical thinking skills when I read research and has also grown my data analysis skills, so that I can better interpret data, both in my career and when making important life decisions. Cultural Psychology, Neuropsychology, Development Psychology, and Personality Psychology have taught me that human behavior is incredibly complex and results from the interaction of nature and nurture, which has helped me better understand people’s actions and empathize with people’s feelings both in and out of the workplace. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have taken these courses as they have enriched my personal and professional life in so many different ways.

My advice for current students is to explore as many areas within the field of psychology as possible. Register for psychology courses both in your field of interest and outside of it because you never know what class might really captivate you or shape your passions and career trajectory. College is the time to explore, so I always recommend taking advantage of all of the courses available. Also, I'd recommend getting involved in the amazing opportunities within the psychology department: join the Psychology Honors Program and Psi Chi Honor Society, peer educate a course, become a Research Assistant in a psychology lab that interests you, join the Psychology Club, and more. During my time at Santa Clara university, I was a Research Assistant in Dr. Bruchmann’s Social Cognition and Comparison Lab, peer educated a Research Methods course with Dr. Frihauf, worked on a senior thesis through the Psychology Honors Program, and was the President of the Psi Chi Honor Society during my senior year. I am forever grateful for these amazing opportunities that have stuck with me throughout my early career, and I hope that you can dive deep into the world of psychology too.