At RU: Discovering who I want to be

Since freshman year, I’ve lived in the same residence hall in one of the Douglass Residential Housing. It was a residence hosting students from the STEM field. One of the requirements in staying in the program was meeting with a resident graduate mentor a couple of times per semester.

Last semester, I met up with my graduate mentor to get some advice. So, I went to her room to talk. I really can't remember much how her room looked like, but I do remember the three different colored yoga mats she laid out on the floor. We sat there and talked. She asked me what was up and I told her about my worries. I told her I applied for a research assistant position in one of the psychology labs on campus. I told her I was called in as one of the three people selected for an interview, and that I was at lost on what to do. She smiled and congratulated me, telling me that that was a great opportunity for experience. She then gave me advises on what to do during the interview. At the end of the meeting, she asked me to keep her posted and I did.

Several weeks after the meeting, I got in touch with my mentor and told her I wasn’t selected for the research assistant position. I was fine, rationalizing that to making it to the interview portion was already a great feat, and that maybe there was something even better for me that will come along. And there was better position that came a long. But then, the outcome completely mirrored that of the first one. And for the first time ever, I’ve felt a sense of incompetency in me. On top of it all, I also had to face the idea that being a doctor might be out of the picture for me. To put it simply in words, I was devastated.

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Before attending Rutgers, my original career goal was to be a psychiatrist. Yes, like most students, I thought about shifting my major several amounts of times. I considered Biology, Exercise Science, Chemistry, and a couple more majors. But, ultimately, no matter which major I thought of back then, I knew I was going to use it to attend medical school for psychiatry after. It wasn’t until after last school year that I realize that medical school wasn’t probably for me. I had the aspiration to be a doctor years before entering college. It wasn’t until after I took the required chemistry courses that I knew medicine was not meant for me. It took me a while to get used to that idea. Because, essentially, by changing career plans, I was admitting that there were some points I was still lacking.

For only a little while did the the sorrow last. I had to move on with my life. So, I started thinking deeply about my options. After meeting with advisers and mentors, I discovered a similar career pathway to psychiatry. Not all hope was lost. I still had an option. I can still work on a clinical setting.

Watch the video below to get to know more about how you can overcome challenges in a positive way.

Sitting in one of the psychology lab rooms, I discussed the other career option with my graduate mentor. She asked if I've ever considered getting a doctoral degree in psychology, instead. I said no. I didn’t know how the program worked, or what it even was, so I never gave it a thought. She said it’s a lot like psychiatry, but the training will be more focused on research and practice. I won't be able to prescribe medications to any patient, but I was completely fine with that. As long as I could work with people, helping them deal and find solutions to their problems, it was all great.

So, after that encounter, I made changes to my activities accordingly. I talked to professors and graduate school advisers about the psychology doctoral program. I also took a couple of certification trainings to enhance my knowledge and experience about the field of psychology. And to my joy, with all the efforts I gave, my abilities were acknowledged. I was selected as a peer mental health educator on campus.

Overall, Rutgers and Douglass Residential College (DRC), both, nurture and facilitate my growth as an individual. Both communities witnessed and provided aide in my maturation as a person, and as a professional in the field of psychology. The rejections and hardships I faced in these places, gave me the chance to get to know more about myself, my interests and passion. Opportunities and resources offered by these places helped me unravel the me of today. And, I quite like the me who exists today.

See the video below to have a better understanding why it is important for us to know and understand ourselves