Get to know a few of our students better by taking a look at our students’ spotlights
Lilibeth Watson
Area of research: Social Psychology
Cohort: Fall 2022
Hometown: I have lived in Vista in North SD county for almost 25 years, but I am originally from Oaxaca Mexico.
Lab: I work in the Motivation and Social Identity lab with Dr. Dustin Thoman
Favorite part of your research: I love working with awesome collaborative teams where I can explore the questions I have about human behavior and identity. I love expanding on ideas and knowing I will have support from my team to build those projects.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: In five years I hope to be finishing my PhD degree and starting to look for jobs in the private sector or possibly starting my own consulting business.
Advice you would give to a student just starting out: Keep in mind the program is only 2 years and if you plan to apply to PhD programs in the fall of your second year, you have to be active during that first year to build up your CV. It is easy to use the first year as a transition year and not realize that you might not be putting much on your CV that first year. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to your PI and ask for help/guidance if you need it, that’s what they are there for!
Fun Fact: I like to think about the “fun fact” activity as a “boring fact” activity, that way there is less pressure. I love learning about pre-Hispanic cultures, how they all connect, and how my ancestors used to live. So far I have only visited Cholula, Teotihuacan, Monte Alban, Mitla and Tenochtitlan, but next summer I plan to visit Chiapas and Yucatan. My goal is to visit as many pre-Hispanic sites as possible and learn about people’s traditions, culture, and food.
Danielle Mc Lemore
Cohort: Fall 2022
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Lab/PI: Claire Murphy
Favorite part of your research: Knowing that you are working to make a difference in someone’s life and making contributions to your field of research.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: Working in a pharmaceutical/neuroscience research based setting to add to my resume and on my way to earning a Ph.D.
Advice you would give to a student just starting out: To push yourself through all the inevitable doubts, fears, and setbacks you’re going to face. After all, if only do what you can do, you’ll never be more than you are now. Grad school can bring out the worst but it can also bring out your best. Choice is yours.
Fun Fact about yourself: I plan on taking a trip around Europe, particularly Italy.
Matthew McArthur
Cohort: Fall 2022
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Lab/PI: Dr. Margaret Friend
Favorite part of your research: I love learning how seemingly innocuous aspects of a child’s environment can affect their cognitive trajectories and learning ways to enhance the influence of the most beneficial aspects whilst protecting them from the most harmful aspects.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: In 5 years I see myself in my final year of my PhD, getting ready to defend my dissertation.
Advice you would give to a student just starting out: Trust the process. At first, research will move slowly and learning will be difficult, but overtime the effort you put in will accumulate and you will benefit from the effort you put into it.
Fun Fact about yourself: I was such a poor team player as a child that my parents had to put me into a sport that did not require me to have teammates. That’s how I ended up playing tennis basically my entire life.
Connor Elbe
Cohort: Fall 2021
Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Lab/PI: Body Image, Sexuality, & Health (BISH) Lab with Dr. Aaron Blashill
Favorite part of your research: My favorite part of my research area is that I have been able to use my own lived experiences to inform the types of projects I conduct and the research questions I ask! It is nice being able to leverage my experiences to conduct more thoughtful research!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years: I’ll be starting my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology this fall, so in five years I see myself graduating!
Advice you would give to a student just starting out: Imposter syndrome is real, and nobody is immune to it. When I entered this program, I thought by acknowledging that imposter syndrome exists, I could protect myself from it—and that didn’t work. I think it’s important to learn self-care strategies and tools to cope with these inevitable feelings and also remind yourself that it is completely normal to have thoughts of self-doubt. Be gentle with yourself and know that you belong!
Fun Fact about yourself: I was on the cover of a National Geographic magazine when I was younger!