College of Liberal Arts
Sophia Wilcox chose ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for its close-knit campus and opportunities to study psychology in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. Early research experiences, supportive faculty and a broad liberal arts education helped shape a strong foundation for graduate school and beyond. Read on to learn more about Sophia's ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ journey.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Sophia. I'm a psychology student with a minor in music. A fun fact about me is that I play the double bass, and I've been playing for almost 10 years now.
What brought you to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and what made you decide it was the right place for you?
Well, I'm from ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. I'm from Anchorage, so ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ was always one of the options. My family has been coming here for a long time. I'm actually the fifth generation in my family to attend ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.
I knew I was interested in psychology, which you really can study anywhere, but ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has a lot of great opportunities for ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñns. I thought it was really valuable to study psychology in the place where I want to work and be informed by the perspectives here.
Touring campus also helped me realize it was a good place for me. I really liked the small feel of the campus, and I felt connected with a lot of the staff, even during my tour. That really helped.
In your own words, why study the liberal arts?
I think the liberal arts are really valuable, and pursuing a Bachelor of Arts has been really cool because I've been able to take so many different classes. I've taken drawing, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Native art, anthropology and a lot of music classes, and all of them have really broadened my perspective.
The way they interact with my psychology degree is really interesting because, in each class, you get to see the world a little differently or through someone else's eyes. Even in drawing, I realized the world looks really different when you focus on the lines that make it up or pay attention to the details. It made me realize I wasn't seeing everything as accurately as I thought. I think that applies to a lot of classes.
It's really helped me understand other perspectives better, which is important in psychology, but I think it's important for everyone to understand that we all have ways we can continue to broaden our worldviews.
What has your experience in the Department of Psychology been like, and what makes it special?
My experience in the Department of Psychology has been really amazing. There are so many lovely people there, both among the professors and the students.
It's such a broad field, and people come to it from a lot of different paths in life. The professors also bring different perspectives. Some are more scientific, some are more cultural and some have backgrounds in social work. It's really broad, and people are so willing to share. The professors are always willing to talk about how they got where they are and what they learned along the way.
Because it's a smaller department, it's also easy to get to know your professors. During my first year, I started collaborating on research, and I think that's a really unique experience.
Was there a professor, mentor, or community that made a big impact on your journey? How?
There was one professor who made a really big impact on my experience here, and that was Dr. Rivkin. She's a social and cultural psychologist who has taught several of my classes, and I've also collaborated with her on research projects.
She has so much knowledge in those areas and is always willing to share her experiences in research and education. She's also a great listener and does a wonderful job incorporating other people's ideas. You see that both in the classroom and in our research meetings. She's been a really great professor to get to know.
I've taken Social Psychology and Introduction to Research Methods in Social Sciences with her, and next year I'll also be taking Cultural Tech.
What skills do you feel that you're bringing from ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ into the future endeavors?
One thing I think ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is really good at is bringing together broad perspectives. One program I'm especially grateful for is ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Native Studies. It's a minor that I don't think I'll quite finish, but I've taken several courses, and they've been really valuable.
It's really unique to have that Indigenous perspective, where a lot of other psychology programs are more science-focused and research-focused. That's also valuable, but having experience with different ways of knowing can really help when you're going into this field.
Congratulations again to Sophia on being recognized as an Outstanding Student. Learn more about the Department of Psychology and the opportunities available to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ students, and watch for more Outstanding Student spotlights from the College of Liberal Arts.
