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Recent Graduates


 

Zayna Thompson

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"I do a lot of different things in my work [using psychology] and Tech actually helped me a lot in terms of scientific thinking and bridging psychology and biology. I use both when I propose brand studies and usability tests."

 

 

Zayna Thompson graduated with dual majors in Psychology and Biology in 2017, then left NMT to complete her Master's in advertising at UT Austin in 2019. Since then, Zayna has been working as a digital strategist at an advertising technology company.

How did you end up being a psychology student at NMT? What led you to decide to enroll/switch?
I started out wanting to go into education, but my favorite community college classes were in biology and psychology. My now husband was going to NMT and talked me into touring the psychology department and meeting with Dr. Samuels. I loved the idea of smaller class sizes, science-based curriculum, and the chance to really get to know the faculty. It also helps that the NMT campus is beautiful.

What were some of your favorite experiences as a psychology student at NMT? Assignments? Research? Personal relationships?
As much as I loved learning and continue to do so today, personal relationships really sealed the deal for me. Professors know you by name and want you to succeed.

How have the skills and concepts that you learned as a psychology student helped you later in your educational journey and/or career?
I use psychology every day. Why do people do what they do? My psychology degree prepared me to test hypotheses, not just have theories. I also gave me the skill and background knowledge to research the appropriate supporting evidence. Advertising is a strong mix of creativity and consumer behavior. More than anything I think NMT prepped me to have a solid scientific structure, you can research all day long and have all the knowledge in the world, but it's not helpful if you can't apply it. NMT taught me how to do that.

What would you say to someone considering pursuing psychology at NMT to help make up their mind?
Do it. Small class sizes, affordable tuition, and a Bachelor of Science. It's low risk and one of the best decisions I've made for my education.


 

   
 

Crystal Ashinhurst

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“NMT instilled in me a philosophy towards learning, the scientific process, and the role of research that has never ceased to be relevant”

 

Can you tell us how you ended up being a psychology student at NMT? What led you to decide to enroll/switch?
I first became interested in clinical psychology during my junior year of high school, when I took
an Introduction to Psychology course at a local community college. Though undecided about the
exact course of my future at the time, I was so taken with psychology that I decided to major in
it. As a member of MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement), I had previously
toured New Mexico Tech several times. NMT appeared to be set apart from the other
universities in New Mexico in terms of academics. Plus, NMT allowed students to stack multiple
scholarships in addition to receiving the Lottery Scholarship. The quality of education for the low
cost of attendance was just too good to pass up.

What were some of your favorite experiences as a psychology student at NMT? Assignments?
Research? Personal relationships?
The psychology department at NMT was very small, but for that reason it was also very close-
knit. I could count on seeing the same familiar faces in all of my psychology courses and I was
able to quickly build rapport with my professors. The faculty were also very accessible for this
reason, and I felt free to wander into their offices pretty much anytime I happened to be walking
through Cramer Hall. I took Experimental Psychology my first semester and it had a lot of really fun and interesting labs. We measured our own blind spots, tested whether a person could tell that they were being watched, and took Miracle Fruit tablets to experience taste distortion. I was able to join a research project that started with just myself and one other student, meeting with our professor during the summer to eat cup ramen in the psychology department break room. By the time I graduated that same research project had granted me the opportunity to become the co-author of a scientific paper, perform brain surgery on mice, and spend more hours than I could count sitting in front of a cryostat and slicing sections of frozen tissue samples. Also, for whatever reason, your peers tend to become really paranoid about your opinion of them as soon as they find out you’re a psychology student. You can probably have some fun with that fact if you anticipate it.

How have the skills and concepts that you learned as a psychology student helped you later in
your educational journey and/or career?
NMT instilled in me a philosophy towards learning, the scientific process, and the role of
research that has never ceased to be relevant. I’m now in a program that emphasizes the
importance of research in advancing the profession. Being up to date on the latest literature in
the field of counseling psychology is an imperative, as it allows you to select the best treatment
approaches possible to serve your clients. There is a crucial link between research and clinical
practice. NMT helped me learn to navigate and value scientific literature.

What would you say to someone considering pursuing psychology at NMT to help make up
their mind?
NMT is a great place to go if you want to be a part of a familiar and very nerdy community and
can handle the academic rigor. The psychology department is very welcoming and will equip
you to succeed in whatever path you choose in this diverse field. I hope you don’t mind small
towns, though.