Campus Profile: Lauren Kenney
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Graduation Year: May 2016
Major: Industrial-Organizational Psychology – Masters’ Candidate
Activities involved in: XPAGS (Xavier Psychological Association for Graduate Students), Graduate Assistant at the circulation desk in the McDonald Library/CLC
If you could pick one song to be the soundtrack to your life, what song would it be?
“Martha, My Dear” by The Beatles
Why Did you choose Xavier?
First and foremost, I chose Xavier because it has one of the top I-O programs in the country and to have an opportunity to study with such incredible professors and high-caliber students has been an honor for me. I fell in love with everything the program and this University has to offer, and, because my mom’s family is from Cincinnati, I also felt I couldn’t turn down the chance to make this city my home instead of just visiting it like a tourist.
What is it like to be a graduate student and how does it compare to undergrad?
Overall, I’ve had a really great experience in graduate school. As a graduate student, I am surrounded by passionate, like-minded people who share similar interests and expertise when it comes to our field, what we want to study, and ultimately what we want to do in our careers. Compared to undergrad, there is a lot more reading and the work is more time-consuming, but it’s rewarding.
What is the Xavier experience like for you?
The Xavier experience is definitely different for graduate students. For instance, since we don’t we live in the dorms and we have a lot of work both in and outside of school, we’re not as involved in campus life as we were at our undergraduate universities. Compared to the “traditional” undergraduate Xavier experience, my experience has offered me a lot of opportunity to compare and contrast my time here with my time in my undergraduate university which was very different in terms of the population, the size, and more. I think that this comparison, though, has enriched my experience here, as it’s given me exposure to a new environment and contributed to my growth as a person.
How did you start working at the circulation desk and do you enjoy it?
I started working here in August 2014. I found out about opportunities for assistantships when I attended the Xavier I-O open house and applied after I had found out that I had been accepted to the program. I had a phone interview a couple weeks later and the rest is history. I absolutely enjoy working here. It’s been a great experience to meet new people, to work with other students and to have this kind of connection with campus life.