Graduated with first-class honours and no signs of slowing down.

kayti-headshotKaitlin graduated in 2014 with an Honours Degree in Psychology with first-class honours and the Senate Medal of Distinction. She is currently working as an Equity Officer and offers freelance public speaking, inclusion training, and mental-health-related workshops for teachers and employers, and intends to pursue her graduate studies in 2015.

What is the “Mount Experience” to you?

Before I came to the Mount I had spent a semester at a much larger school; I felt like I was just one person in a sea of faces, and it was difficult to feel like there was a community in a class of 400. The Mount was the complete opposite – the lab structure enables to you to not only learn valuable skills from your advisor and upper year students, but to help pass on these skills to others.

What has been your proudest moment at the Mount?

I was able to bring in knowledge from a discipline often viewed as outside of the scientific realm and to facilitate cross-discipline partnerships. This allowed me to not only bring artistic study into the world of psychology, but also to discuss my research with professionals from a wide variety of disciplines – including fine art.

If you could tell someone one thing about the Mount, what would it be?

One of the best parts of my university experience was developing bonds with the people in my honours group – we still keep in touch a year later. Fewer students meant that I was able to take on graduate level responsibilities within the lab and gain skills and opportunities that may not be available students at other schools.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I’m hoping to have completed a joint PhD and law degree with a focus on mental health. My ultimate goal is to be working on issues related to mental health, and to be able to improve the lives of those living with mental illness, be it through research or health policy.

How have you changed since you first arrived at the Mount?

I came in as an artist and left a scientist. I’ve gone from wanting to become an art therapist to moving away from clinical psychology all together in favour of experimental research. The support system I gained while attending the Mount definitely changed my life for the better. I strongly believe that if I had been attending a different school that I would have had to abandon my studies, and I am continually grateful for the connections I made during my time here.