Marissa Chavez

Class of 2011, B.A. in Psychology with Minor in Gerontology

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

About a month after graduation, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe and India with a few friends from USC and the most eye-opening part of our trip was volunteering for a month with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, which is the religious order that Mother Teresa founded. I worked at an orphanage with children who had disabilities and it was the most beautiful experience I have ever had. I will never forget the kindness and love I witnessed on a daily basis.

In January of 2012, I began my studies as a graduate student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and in just a few weeks, I will be graduating with my Master of Arts degree in Literacy and Language Arts along with my California elementary teaching credential. I love my student teaching experience right now, but I am very much looking forward to finding employment as an elementary public school teacher in or around the Los Angeles area for the coming school year.

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

While the rigor of my academic courses certainly prepared me for life after USC and especially life as a graduate student, working for Readers Plus as well as staying active and involved with the USC Catholic Center provided me with invaluable experiences that have molded me into the person I am today. I was involved in several ministries and committees at the Catholic Center that allowed me to hone my leadership skills, the most rewarding one being Homeless Ministry, which involved leading a group of volunteers to make and deliver food to residents of Skid Row on a daily basis. I also met my best friends through the Catholic Center, which I will forever be grateful for as they have encouraged and supported me in everything I have done, especially as I have worked on completing my degree from LMU. Working as an elementary math and reading tutor through Readers Plus gave me experience in the line of work I would eventually choose to pursue.

What course did you enjoy the most?

I can’t pick just one! Three courses actually come to mind: Developmental Psychology, Children’s Learning and Cognitive Development, and Adolescent Gang Intervention through the School of Social Work. I actually decided to declare myself a Psychology major just a few weeks into my Developmental Psychology course because it helped me recognize my love for learning about human development and behavior. Children’s Learning and Cognitive Development with Dr. Manis was also very interesting and helped me develop my teaching skills as they related to literacy and language arts.

Adolescent Gang Intervention is a class that will always stay with me. It was co-taught by Robert Hernandez and Steve Kim and was the most instrumental class I took while at USC. I have never had a class challenge me intellectually and emotionally the way that this one did. The course brought to light many factors contributing to the Los Angeles gang epidemic, but it also made this epidemic personal. Guest speakers, field trips, interviews, research articles, and our assigned readings brought gang issues to life in a unique way. Previously held biases and stereotypes were constantly challenged and we were faced with the task of creating and designing our own gang intervention program as our final project. This class pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to think outside of the box and to look at the issues through a compassionate lens. It was during my time in this class when I really began thinking about becoming a teacher.

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

I would probably take advantage of the office hours of several professors. They possess such a wealth of knowledge and I would love to pick their brains about the kind of research they do and why they are interested in the field they chose, especially given everything I have learned in my graduate program. I’d also try to study in the libraries more often. During my last two undergraduate years, I tried to study as often as I could in the Gerontology library as well as the library in Mudd Hall (which is my favorite), but I didn’t do this as a freshman and sophomore. USC has beautiful libraries and I wish I had frequented them more in my early years at USC. If I had known about Readers Plus earlier, I would have worked for them for all four years at USC.

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

I am very proud of the fact that I have maintained a 4.0 GPA through graduate school. As a result, I will be inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi educational honor society as well as Alpha Sigma Nu, which is a Jesuit higher education honor society. I was also honored and humbled to find out that I was named the Outstanding Graduate Student of my academic program this semester.