Name: Ariel Haynes
Year: Sophomore
Major: Psychology and Philosophy
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Favorite Animal: Cow/Sloth
Favorite Movie: Good Will Hunting
Favorite Day of the Week: Wednesday
How did you hear about University of Portland? What made you decide to come here?
I really hadn’t heard of the University of Portland until they emailed me back in my senior year of high school. I remember opening that email and it was an invitation and a link to a free application, which was nice, so I applied immediately. Looking back on it, I really wish I had done more research into the school before applying, but I’m happy that I applied anyway. It was my first college acceptance and I really decided to go here because it’s close to home, but just far enough at the same time. I love the Pacific Northwest, and moving anywhere other than Washington, Oregon, or parts of California wasn’t really an option for me.
What is your favorite thing about the school?
I really love the small class sizes—I’ve never really had a class with more than maybe 30 students. It’s nice because all my professors know my name and have a good idea of how I’m doing in their class. It also makes it easier during office hours to go and talk to professors because they already know what your strengths and weaknesses are in their courses. Right now, I also really love my schedule. I worked hard to get all the classes I wanted—most of which pertain to my philosophy major—and I only go to school twice a week. My schedule works out so that I have all my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I get to focus on studying, paper writing, and myself on all the other days which has been really helpful for me as my last semester was really stressful! I’ve been able to devote more time to my work and also pay more attention to my mental and physical health.
What is your favorite thing about Portland?
My favorite thing about Portland is the hikes! A lot of the trailheads are away from the city itself, and sometimes in other parts of the state or even Washington, but I definitely consider that my favorite part of my surroundings. It’s nice to drive a half hour from my house and find myself deep in nature where I can gather thoughts or take friends on new adventures from time to time. The city itself is nice, but I really like getting away from the crowdedness of downtown.
What made you choose to major in Psychology?
I honestly can’t remember one thing or event that made me choose Psychology as my primary major. When I looked for colleges, I really looked for Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Psychology programs because I’ve had an interest in behavioral sciences for a while. I struggled a lot with depression in high school and the one thing that helped me grow from that was learning about the illness itself. I enjoyed learning about triggers, stigmas, and the way mental illness can manifest itself. This later transitioned into a desire to help others and I started volunteered at the Crisis Clinic in Seattle during my senior year of high school. It’s been really rewarding and I learned that helping others is a passion of mine and something I wanted to pursue professionally.
Is there a specific path you’d like to take with it?
I would like to work with adolescents and young adults in crisis intervention or as a counselor or psychologist. Crisis intervention, however, intrigues me the most and it’s something I’m more passionate about.
Have you had the chance to do anything with it outside of school at this point?
So far, I’ve only worked with the Crisis Clinic directly, and I’m a member of the University of Portland’s Active Minds club.
What was it like to work for a crisis clinic?
It was a tough, yet very, very rewarding experience. Volunteering at the Crisis Clinic changed my life for the better and I wish I lived closer to Seattle so I could still participate more in both outreach and the helplines. I had heard about the program before, but in my senior year of highschool I chose to volunteer there as part of my Freedom and Oppression course. It was a tedious application process and once I was accepted, working the phone lines required over 40 hours of training. However, there was no amount of training that really could have prepared me fully for working the phone lines. Learning to “keep your cool” on a self-harm and suicide hotline isn’t the easiest thing to do and it takes a lot of stamina to be able to do it. My parents were worried about the effects of working with such a hotline—worrying that it could lead to greater bouts of depression and increased anxiety—but I found it to be one of the most helpful and inspiring experiences of my life. Being able to work with youth who couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel was rewarding and there’s no amount of words that will ever be able to describe that feeling perfectly enough. While calls could be tough and extremely scary sometimes, I always left my shift with a more positive and hopeful disposition. Realizing that you can’t help everyone is hard, but once you’re able to acknowledge that, it’s easier to extract the good things in a phone call.
You’re nearly done with your sophomore year of college — what’s something you would say to your freshman self or to incoming freshman?
Embrace the whirlwind of freshman year, study harder than you think you need to, and be open to new adventures.