What is my purpose?
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in English, I am interested in applying to Florida State University’s Instructional Systems and Learning Technologies M.S. program. My interest in this area was initially sparked when I visited Ireland during my sophomore year of college. The primary purpose of this trip was to shadow at Google in Dublin and I was given an invaluable opportunity to speak with many different Google employees. One detail that I noticed about the organization was the ideal placement of individuals into their unique jobs and incredible productivity. The organization has an outstanding mastery of technology and combines technological innovations with skill and team building techniques to increase individual performances.
In subsequent semesters, I was accepted into the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and was able to work in the Joiner Lab in the Department of Psychology for two semesters. Upon completion of the UROP program, I presented an academic poster on suicide by cop research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium as well as at the Department of Psychology’s Undergraduate Research Day. As a whole, this program gave me the opportunity to thoroughly study the research process while gaining experience with coding software and academic poster design.
Currently, I am serving as a UROP Leader for the Fall 2017—Spring 2018 UROP students. This position allows me to co-teach a psychology section of the colloquium. As a UROP Leader, it is my job to guide students through the entire research process by designing research/career-focused lesson plans, helping them build professional skills, finding projects that appeal to their interests, and educating them regarding the vast array of academic resources, technology, and career options available for their fields. I have also accepted a psychology tutoring position at the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) on campus that will allow me to gain more experience in working one-on-one with students.
Additionally, I am currently serving as the Public Relations Chair/Webmaster for FSU’s chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology. I have gained experience in working with software such as Microsoft Office, Nvivo, Canva, and Wix/Weebly. Through the PR Chair/Webmaster position as well as my website design/editing job for a professional speaker, I have greatly enjoyed the process of creating marketing materials, resources, and websites that are functional and aesthetically appealing.
Reflecting upon my interests and positions throughout my college experience, I have discovered a strong passion for working with students and adults, exploring ways to build upon skills and performance, designing materials for a broad range of purposes, and harnessing technological innovations to their fullest potential. With my background in teaching, professional writing and speaking, psychology, and design software, I feel that I will be able to thrive in the Instructional Systems and Learning Technologies program.