Heidi Hyun

Class of 2013, BA in Psychology & Political Science

Where have you worked and/or studied since you graduated from USC?

The summer after graduation, I worked as a legal research assistant for an USC Ph.D. candidate, researching intellectual property law. Since then, I have been working as a Legal Assistant for a boutique family law firm in Orange County.

What was the most beneficial thing you did as a student at USC to prepare you for post-graduation?

The most beneficial thing is I did as a student at USC is really take advantage of what USC had to offer in terms of research.  I focused primarily on research in both majors, taking classes from psychometrics to researching prison overcrowding under UNRUH in the political science department. The skills I developed from research (i.e., reading scholarly journals, writing papers, developing theses, etc)  really gave me a one-up especially in the legal field, as the skills overlap. Day-to-day I am reading legal briefs, summarizing cases, or deciphering for legal arguments.

What course did you enjoy the most?

The psychology course I enjoyed the most was forensic psychology. It is the most applicable course I took at USC that relates to the field I work in. Because I work in family law, most cases involve, but not limited to, domestic violence, 730 evaluations, different cases of psychological evaluations, restraining orders, etc. It definitely helped to know these terms and what they mean prior to working. The sense of familiarity forensic psychology gave me really gave me the confidence boost I need to start working right after graduation.

If you were an undergraduate again, is there anything that you would do differently?

If there is anything I would do differently is probably take business classes. I realized that at the end of the day, everything, every decision is business related. Having some foundation in negotiations, marketing, or even accounting, I know, would really help in the workplace.

 

Have you won any awards, accolades, etc. after you graduated from USC?

Since graduating my job at USC, I got promoted very early on in my work and received a very generous raise within a month of employment.