Environmental science has always interested me. I like learning about how interlocking systems work together, and I think the natural world is a perfect example of that. As I got to get to know the faculty, how the department works, and think about how I interacted with my own spirituality, I came to feel like a theology major was the right fit for me.
My summer research was a great asset in addition to applying to grad school. This was perfect timing to do research, and it was a great opportunity to boost my grad school application for sure; especially with the mentorship that I got from Dr. Hanrahan. He was able to direct me into what I needed to do for grad school.
I love the religion major because there are so few of us, which means that we all know each other really well. I’ve had access to not only my two faculty mentors but all of our staff really closely, and everyone has expertise that’s relevant to what I’m researching. I get to have a lot of eyes and hands on my project as well as a ton of support, and that has been incredible for keeping everything going.
I participated in undergraduate research, which I think is valuable for anyone majoring in a STEM field. It’s rare to find small institutions with research programs, so I took advantage of this opportunity and it taught me a lot about real experimentation.
The criminology & criminal justice program at Cal Lutheran incorporates an internship as part of graduation requirements, which pushes students to gain work experience and helps them stand out from the rest upon graduating. The political science program also has interesting travel seminars and experiential learning opportunities like Model United Nations and Urban Politics in Washington D.C.
I chose to major in psychology because I am fascinated by how the brain processes information and how it rebounds from injury and disease. Exploring multiple topics within psychology through my classes and working with professors on research teams has allowed me to discover my passion for clinical psychology. My dad graduated from Cal Lutheran in 1989 with a German minor; my whole life he spoke highly of the program with Dr. Walter Stewart. My minor has been helpful, especially when studying the history of psychology and the founding German psychologists. I am currently working as a German department assistant and am excited to help tutor students as they learn the language.
Psychology offers a very broad educational experience where you can find many specific avenues of interest. Taking Adult Development and Aging (PSYC 305) helped me narrow down my future career. I chose a religion minor because I love how religion can be applied to numerous settings and how it can open doors for people to meet and learn from one another. Religion can be interpreted in many different ways and therefore offer much to us in everyday and scholarly discussions.
I would recommend biochemistry for any student that wants to understand more about the basic building blocks of life. Learning some of the concepts at first can be frustrating, but it is really rewarding to be able to apply them in a lab setting outside of lectures. I am also an applied scientific computing minor and am learning science communication skills that can be applied to many career paths, such as medicine, science journalism and quality control. This will allow me to have more options for career paths after I graduate and aid me in my further studies as a biochemistry major.
I believe biology is a universal degree that covers pretty much everything, there are so many career paths to explore such as pharmaceuticals or zoology. The thing that intrigued me about the environmental science major was the types of labs that were offered under it. Many of them involve field work, like the water resources lab. And this summer, I participated in directed research with Dr. Megan Fung. Through that I gained laboratory skills as a first-year and an amazing opportunity to begin my journey toward my dream career.
I feel both of my degrees have interesting courses as well as real-life applications for continuing my educational journey towards an MD, PhD, or both.