Name: Katie Guajardo
Year: Senior
Major: Psychology
What activities are you involved in on campus?
I’m in the Honors Program, a member of both Psi-Chi and the National Society for Leadership and Success, a Student Panelist for the Academic Integrity Board, a Student Ambassador, and this year, I have the pleasure of serving as the Training and Recruitment Coordinator for the Student Ambassador’s Executive Board.
What are some of your hobbies?
This sounds nerdy, but I really love research and learning more about Psychology. When I’m not working on my thesis or reading articles, I also enjoy planning my wedding, baking, and cooking. Everyone who lived on Gerard 3 last year knows that I love to cook, bake, and do everything vegan. As far as more “stereotypical” hobbies, I really enjoy finding new music, watching movies like Mulan, 500 Days of Summer, and Pride and Prejudice, and spending time with my lovely fiancée, who graduated from MU last year.
What is your favorite part about being a leader on campus?
I think my favorite part of my experience is the people that I get to know and meet from being a campus leader. I have met so many wonderful friends from my years at Marymount and I don’t think that I would have met them if I were not so involved. For the past two and half years, I’ve been a Student Ambassador and seeing students come to MU for a visit and then seeing that same student later when they come to enroll is just so gratifying; just knowing that you helped personalize their experience at MU. It’s something I think that we take for granted as student leaders, but the people we work with, the students we meet, and the families that we get to engage is just so important and real.
Why did you choose to attend Marymount?
I actually looked at much larger schools during my sophomore year of high school, but I was unimpressed with how crowded their classrooms were and I always left the universities feeling like it wasn’t right for me. But, when I took the SAT during my senior year, I checked that I would be interested in smaller schools and soon after, got a packet from MU. I was attracted to the fact that we are so close to D.C., but worried that I wasn’t the ideal student because I’m not Catholic. But, I couldn’t get MU out of my mind and decided to call and see what I could figure out. Luckily, my Admissions counselors were absolutely wonderful and I was accepted a short time later. However, it wasn’t until I actually visited Marymount that I was sure that I wanted to come. When I had my Honors Program interview during Scholars Day, I was a nervous wreck and so scared that I would mess up or say something unintelligent, or even worse- forget what I had been practicing to say the entire ride from Powhatan, VA. But, when I went into my interview room, Dr. Gammack asked me a question that I wasn’t prepared for – “What is your favorite book?” My answer was simple, Pride and Prejudice because of the dynamic characters and the hilarious banter. For some reason the sureness in my voice made both Dr. Gammack and I laugh and after that, my nerves went away, my smile was genuine, and I knew that I would be comfortable calling Marymount home.
What is your favorite thing about Marymount?
I have many favorite things, but one of them has been the ability to go abroad! I had never been outside of the United States before coming here, but since being here, I’ve been able to study at the University of Oxford in England and study Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in chimpanzees in Kenya! If you would have told me that I would have ran from a cape buffalo in Kenya and hid behind a bush, slept in an airport in the Netherlands with my backpack strapped around my chest, or worked with the man who developed the theory of Schizotypy five years ago, I probably would have laughed at you. But, honestly, these experiences have not only shaped my college career, they have changed who I am as a person and I am just so grateful for them.
What is a typical day in your life like?
To be frank: BUSY. Being a commuter, I go to and from Fairfax each day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have my internship at the Center for Alexandria’s Children where I am a Learn and Play Intern in the morning and afternoon, while my fiancée works in Arlington. Then, I work on my research or homework on campus, go to meetings, or hang out with on-campus friends until 10pm. If the day is a Tuesday or Thursday, I’m on campus all day working in Undergraduate Admissions, bringing people random baked goods, attending meetings, doing homework, and going to class. Then, when we’re both done with things that we need to do in Arlington, my fiancée and I go home. We get home most days around 11pm, I cook for the next day and we talk about how our days went. Then, we go to sleep and do it all again!
What is your most memorable moment at Marymount?
One of my most “memorable” moments, even though it was also by far the most embarrassing, was breaking my ankle on the first day of my freshman year. I got to move in early for the Honors Program and I was walking out of Butler when I fell. Let’s just say it was not my most graceful moment. However, since I was injured, I had to make friends quickly because I needed so much help getting things unpacked and ready for the year. I will never forget the people who helped me and honestly, even though it was terrible to spend my first semester in a cast, it was definitely a great conversation starter! But, in all seriousness, without the people I met because of my ankle, I probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to join Student Government, which was my first leadership position on campus. So, thanks for that, you guys!
What have you been able to take away from your years so far at Marymount?
I think my biggest “take away” from Marymount has been that regardless of what you do in life, the people you know and the relationships that you create are worth so much more. These people are there when you need to vent about a long day, or there to celebrate when you have something great happen. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a giant nerd and that I love data and research, but honestly, the “human element” matters. The people in my life are most important, and the friends that I’ve made at Marymount are who I’m going to remember 10+ years from now, not (necessarily!) the scholars that I’ve read about.
What is your dream job and how do you think you’ll get there?
My dream job is to be a Psychology professor at a University and to be able to do research on Early Interventions in Mental Health Disorders and to actually create a program that would help people who need help with mental health gain it more efficiently and quicker than our current methods. Luckily, I really enjoy research which definitely helps me get there, but after Undergraduate, I have 5-7 years of Graduate school to look forward to in order to get a PhD in Clinical Psychology. From there, I have to continue to work on my research and persevere in order to reach my goal of being a professor! It sounds so lame, but this has been my dream for years now and the more I learn about it, the more that I know that this is my true path!
What is your motto to live by?
Never be afraid of what you don’t know, but rather challenge yourself to learn it!