Rhyann is a first-year student in the MSPS program who is collaborating with Dr. Carla Hunter. In this Spotlight, Rhyann tells us about her goals for her study at Illinois.

What were you doing prior to joining the MSPS program?

I was completing my undergraduate education at Santa Clara University, where I earned a B.S. in Psychology and Ethnic Studies.

Why are you pursuing a M.S. in Psychological Science?

My dream is to be a professor of psychology and do research with marginalized communities and uplift the voices of others through psychological research.

Why did the MSPS program at Illinois appeal to you?

I believe that the MSPS program will build a solid foundation for my future research and doctoral work. This program really spoke to me because it can serve as a stepping stone for the next phase of my career in the psychological sciences, which is not something that every program offers. The one-on-one advising also appealed to me because I value learning from and cultivating relationships with my professors.

How do your interests fit with the work that you are doing with your faculty sponsor?

Working with communities of color has always been at the forefront of my research interests and this is something I share in common with my faculty sponsor, Dr. Carla Hunter. I appreciate and admire how she centers the experiences of black American and black Caribbean experiences through her research and I plan to do the same in my future work.

What impact do you want your work to have?

I want to create space for people of color to have their voices heard through research. I plan to engage in participatory action research to ensure that marginalized voices are at the forefront of my research. I hope to have an impact on the communities that I do research with as well as the academy in adding these often oppressed voices to the literature.

Visit Rhyann’s Student Profile page!