Success After Pacific
The Department of Psychology is proud of the hundreds of living alumni who have their degree in Psychology from University of the Pacific. Take a look at where some of them have taken their Psychology degrees since they graduated from Pacific.
Aroosa Ahmed '16
Student Programs Specialist
A 2016 graduate, Aroosa Ahmed double majored in Psychology and Sociology. She is currently in the Masters of Social Work program at the University of Michigan, where she is studying community organization, social policy evaluation, advocacy, and community. She just started an internship with ACCESS in Dearborn, Michigan, the largest nonprofit Arab American human services agency in the U.S. They are spearheading the Take on Hate Initiative, which challenges the growing discrimination and persistent misconception of Arab and Muslim Americans. She is currently working on the evaluation of this campaign to assess the effectiveness and outreach efforts. "Largely through my program and field work, the type of work I am involved in revolves heavily around fighting against social justice inequalities in order to achieve systemic policy reform and to build greater capacity for marginalized communities. This is one of the reasons why I love what I do! Working towards bringing people together and social change are my passions," she says.
To students who are interested in studying Psychology at Pacific, Aroosa advises, "You can do it! Many students don't realize coming in, but our psychology program is very rigorous. Our professors challenge our ideas and further our intellectual ability. Readings, quizzes, exams can be stressful - make sure to stay on top of them all. With that being said, get involved with research as soon as you can. Find a professor that matches your (research) interests and ask them to be your mentor! Shout out to Drs. Jensen and Kohn!"
Regarding her favorite memory at Pacific, Aroosa recalls that, "Other than being in the classroom, I loved working orientations! I was a Pacific Student Advisor throughout undergrad and loved meeting new people and forming new bonds with my advisees. I actually am still in touch with several of my advisees from the first orientation I worked. I also loved being in the SUCCESS/CIP offices, as well as working at the Career Resource Center!"
With so much going on in college, Aroosa emphasizes the importance of taking time to do what you love and doing something relaxing, whether that's staying in and watching a favorite show, or going out with friends. "Self care, self care, self care! Do something that's just for FUN (i.e., something unrelated to what'll look good on your resume)," she says.