How I became a School Psychologist
I always get asked why I picked psychology as a career field. I wish I had some amazing story about knowing my passion at an early age and following my dreams since I was 5, but that’s not the case for me!
Clash of Cultures
As a second generation American, I was the first of the grandchildren to want to dorm and go away to college. That is unheard of in a hispanic family. The females are to stay home until marriage. I had bigger plans of dorming, going away and discovering myself. This decision was not taken lightly. I remember going to campus tours listening to my parents say “she’ll change her mind”, but I didn’t and when the time came to decide, my parents were not happy. I remember sitting in the living room, crying, telling my parents that I am going to follow my dreams. I remember looking at my mom and saying, “You moved to this country at the age of 17, not knowing the language, not knowing a soul and not knowing what the future held. If you can move to a new country, I can move 6 hours from home and survive.” And after a lot of consideration, I was lucky to continue getting support for my family and go to a university far from home.
See, it all started in High School. The stressors of applying to college... I truly believed that I would not get accepted into a university without picking a major. I had no clue what psychology entailed. I took an english class where I learned about dream interpretation (remember Carl Jung?). “That was fun” I thought to myself. So I put down that I wanted to believe in a Psychology Major thinking that this would soon change.
Undergraduate Career
So I took Psych101 and LOVED it. My professor was hilarious, loved her job and was a great teacher. From there, I continued in the major. Fast forward to Junior and Senior year. I am not going to lie, these were some of the toughest years I experienced. I got first hand experience on anxiety, depression, panic attacks and all things mental health. That’s when I realized how much more important psychology was to me. My senior year, I did an internship with a Child Advocate at an elementary school (similar to a school counselor). Through this internship, I learned about school Psychology. Just like my first college application process went, I figured, “Why not? I can do it!” and applied to two School Psychology graduate programs.
Graduate School
Typically, graduate school consists of 3 years. For me it took 4 years to finish. Two full years of classes and one full time internship. My 4th year consisted of a second internship, which I was able to complete while working in a school as a School Psychologist. I began getting hands on experience since my first semester of classes and I knew that I was where I belonged. Ironically, my Psych101 professor became my site supervisor for my first year. My second year, I did a practicum at a K-12 school. I finished my internship in two different school districts at both the High School and Elementary Level. I absorbed as much information I could throughout these years in grad school, and as a result, it helped me complete my first full year as a School Psychologist. This upcoming year, I will begin my first year as a fully certified Bilingual School Psychologist and could not be more excited! Here I stand, first person in the family ever (on my mothers side) and first person of the second generation children on my father's side, to not only receive a Bachelor's degree, but a Masters degree as well.
Everyone’s career paths are different. If you took time off, that is amazing! If you studied abroad, I am jealous! Don’t compare your journey to others. Enjoy YOUR story and your path to getting the dream job you imagine for yourself. I hope you enjoyed reading about my journey. Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions about School Psychology!