I am currently studying Psychology and Counseling at Evergreen and hope to go on to get a Masters in either Marriage and Family Therapy or Clinical Counseling.
I’d say 80% of the reason I picked Evergreen was because it is the closest university to my house, and because I had a lot of friends that got their education here around 2008-2010, so I was familiar with the campus and culture. Once I started looking at other potential colleges, I realized that I really loved the interdisciplinary aspect of Evergreen’s programs, and it felt like a safe and welcoming school for a middle-aged mom to go to.
I love the young people that go here. I have gotten to know so many wonderful people that are literally half my age. I love the interdisciplinary aspect of courses, I have a focus on psychology, and I like to learn about human behavior, but I’m also interested in history, anthropology, fiber arts, etc. I have been able to take courses like Anthrozoology and Cascadia (PNW human and geological history) and tailor my learning in those classes toward psychology, which my professors support and encourage.
If I didn’t get foundational scholarships from Evergreen, I couldn’t be here. My situation is that I watched my peers get college degrees in their early 20’s, and now that we are nearing 40, they all still have almost as much student debt as they started out with. When I decided to go to school, I vowed not to take out loans because I have seen what these loans do to your finances for decades after graduation, and because I am a mother. I want to get this education so that I can be a financial asset to my family. I feel that going into debt negates the financial benefits of a college degree enough that I would rather not go to college than graduate with debt. I am endlessly thankful to Evergreen for providing me with the means to get funding for my education, scholarships have changed my life.
I love bringing my children to campus, we have seen the Evergreen Singers perform, gone to a Chinese arts and crafts event, and checked out books from the children’s section of the campus library. I have also enjoyed going on field trips with two of my classes, including a three-day trip to British Columbia with my Anthrozoology program, and an overnight experience in Seattle with my Playtime Lifetime cohort. Right now, I am studying Clinical Counseling with Dr. Mukti Khana via a year-long capstone program. The cohort is only 11 people, so we have gotten to know each other, learn from each other, and benefit from focused attention from Dr. Khana.
The focus of my education has always been personal fulfillment, financial stability, and creating opportunities for my kids. I am a first-generation college student, and I’ve read a lot and written about the benefits of having at least one parent who has a college education, so I know that this experience will benefit my family in many ways. Education wise, I hope to go to graduate school this fall and earn a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy. After that I would like to work in public mental health for a few years, working either in a hospital setting, drug rehabilitation, or with houseless individuals and families. After a few years I see myself transitioning to private practice with individuals and couples.
