Ava Casados

Class of 2011, B.A. in Psychology & Fine Arts

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

Immediately after graduation, I spent the summer participating in Dr. Steven Lopez’s Latino Mental Health Research Training Program in Puebla, Mexico. Upon returning to Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of working with Dr. JoAnn Farver for two post-graduate years. I am now a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Yale University.

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

One of the best things I ever did was to connect with Dr. Farver and Dr. Lopez. They both ended up being huge influences in my life, and their mentorship and support had a lot to do with where I am today. I would encourage any undergraduate – regardless of their field of study or career objectives – to connect with the professors who inspire or motivate them, and build relationships with those individuals. It is a rare opportunity to have such easy access to so many bright and interesting people, and I cannot stress enough the benefits that can be had from availing yourself of their knowledge.

What course did you enjoy the most?

One of my favorite classes was an advanced drawing course taught by Chris Barnard. This course challenged me intellectually in a way that you hope great college courses would – pushing me to re-evaluate my own passions and beliefs, and forcing me to consider more deeply the impact I wanted to make with my work, both as an artist and as a psychologist. The lessons I learned in this course extended well beyond the subject of drawing, and continue to influence my approach to clinical research.

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

I wish I could have participated in the psychology honors program. As a double major, it did not seem feasible to complete the honors program track within my four years at USC, but getting an earlier start with independent research would have been valuable to me.