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Josie Smith

smith-josie_aaronette-white-endowment_400pixels.jpgCollege affiliation: Merrill 

Department: Psychology

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive? Dr. Aaronette White Endowment Award

When do you expect to graduate? 2022

Where do you call home? Concord, CA

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? As a first gen I wasn’t really sure what made a good college, so I honestly came here for the nature at first. I also heard that our psychology department was good, and it turned out to be better than I could’ve imagined! So I’m really glad I came here.

What is your field of focus? Intensive psychology, and I’m specifically passionate about community and social psychology, as well as liberation and decolonial psychology.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? Right now I am looking for jobs in the above areas as I prepare to apply for grad school. I am interested in community psychology PhD programs.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? Taking community interventions with Dr. Langhout was really when I realized what I wanted to do in psychology and allowed me to meet such wonderful people. Having that kind of meaningful collaboration and connection in a class was not something I was used to, so I would definitely say it changed my life a little.

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? You belong! I heard this from a friend who heard it from Sylvane Vaccarino Ruiz (grad student with Dr. Langhout at UCSC), that we aren’t impostors, we are infiltrators. College, including UCSC, was not designed for non-white non-men, so you being here doesn’t mean you don’t belong, rather you are infiltrating. And you are not alone!

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research? This scholarship came at such a time of need for me that I am just so grateful. It allows me to focus less on my survival and focus on my interests, which is something so valuable to me. It also serves as a reminder to me that I am never alone, particularly in the psychology field where there is so much to dismantle and I can sometimes lose hope that meaningful work is possible.