What are your career goals / academic goals?

My goal is to become a school psychologist.

Why did you choose to pursue your graduate degree at Marist? Why did you choose to pursue this degree program?

I chose ot pursue my graduate degree at Marist because of the exceptional program that it is. It is a NASP approved program, that is highly accredited and known. Marist was my first and only choice. I also loved that it was only 20 minutes from where I live so it is easy for me to commute to and from school.

Tell us about a project or course that was particularly meaningful to your professional development / academic development.

A course that was meaningful to my professional and academic development was Psychopathology (PSYH 607). In this course, I was taught by Dr. Stone about different disabilities and diagnoses that were crucial to know going into the field of school psychology. It was a beautifully taught course, and well structured, and I was always clear about the expectations of the class. My knowledge of psychopathology grew as a result of taking this class.

Tell us about a meaningful experience you had at Marist as it pertains to your degree (whether that be with a Professor, Marist service, Scholarship opportunity, etc.).

Being a graduate assistant has been a great opportunity for me at Marist. I have been able to build good relationships with my professors, and I have learned a lot from them. The graduate assistantship also comes with a scholarship, so this has been very useful and supported me financially as well. 

What advice would you give to a student considering pursuing this degree at Marist?

I would recommend that students pursuing this degree at Marist do their research into the field of School Psychology and discover if this is something that they are truly interested in and can see themselves doing. It is a very rigorous and challenging program, yet extremely rewarding as you see your hard work pay off. I would recommend that students also make sure they are aware of the time commitment that is required in the program. They will be attending school for 12 months for 2 years, and the 3 rd year includes one internship course but requires a full-time unpaid internship 5 days a week for an entire school year, and you will be placed anywhere within one hour from Marist. It is imperative that students make sure they are aware of this time commitment and make sure that they are available.