Student Profile: Leah Rowe '07

Studying psychology can open up many doors after graduation. Students find many job opportunities in a variety of fields or go on to graduate school.

At Bryant, psychology students have the added bonus of incorporating a business component into their education.

Just ask Leah Rowe '07 of Mashpee, MA.

"Bryant's psychology program looked a lot different from other schools because it offered more of a business twist," she said.

Rowe completed her graduation requirements at the end of the fall semester and is in the process of applying for jobs in the clinical field. She is planning to begin grad school next September.

Her top choice is to attend UMass-Dartmouth to study clinical psychology. Her Bryant education that included a wide variety of courses has her well positioned to succeed in graduate school.

"Most graduate programs are looking for a diverse mix of arts, sciences, math and psychology course work," she said.

Rowe chose to minor in management because there are many opportunities to use her psychology skills in management positions, she said.

"With a psychology background you can go into human resources, organizational development or executive coaching. there are a lot of opportunities for mixing management and psychology," she said.

While the business skills she gained are important, Rowe's passion is in clinical psychology.

With the help of Joe Trunzo, assistant professor of psychology and the Amica Center for Career education, Rowe designed an internship at the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at Miriam Hospital in Providence. As a research intern, she was responsible for data collection entry and verification. She also worked on Project CLUEE (College Life: Understanding Eating and Exercise), which examined the "freshmen 15" - the amount of weight many students gain in their first year away from home.

In addition, a paper she co-authored titled Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Other Health Risk Behaviors Among College Students was published. In March, she is presenting a paper she co-authored with Nanci Weinberger, professor of psychology, titled Get Your Game On: Gender and Early Competitive Game, at the Society for Research in Child Development biennial meeting in Boston.

Even if students do not want to pursue a career in clinical psychology, the minor in psychology can be valuable, especially for the future businessperson.

"I think psychology is totally needed in business," said Rowe. "You have to know how people work and how they think."