Brittany Valdes of Ahwatukee said she has had the study of psychology on her mind since she was in middle school.
“Middle school was the worst time of my life,” she said. “I was always fighting with my parents and no one understood me. Everything would have been better if I had more resources and someone to talk to. I want to be that person for struggling adolescents today.”
Originally from Texas, Brittany said she moved to Arizona for a fresh start. She said she didn’t want to be out of school, but that being an out-of-state resident limited her options.
“Going to a university was going to take a long time because it cost so much as an out-of-state resident,” she said. “Then I found Scottsdale Community College (SCC) and it was very cost effective.”
Brittany said she encountered a number of hardships, but that SCC was with her every step of the way.
“In terms of finances, they definitely worked with me to find options,” she said. “They were also really encouraging and had informational packets and helped me find where to get my books and parking information.”
She added that SCC provided a good learning experience as well.
“The classrooms were small and the teachers were friendly,” she said. “They were always there to help and they really cared.”
After three years in the Maricopa Community College (MCC) system, Brittany transferred to Arizona State University (ASU) via the University Transfer program offered by MCC to pursue her Bachelors of Science in Psychology.
Brittany said she would like to work with adolescents in a school district as part of her career plan.
“There are a lot of kids that need a lot of help and can’t talk with their parents,” she said. “I’ve seen kids who really have it hard, are of low socioeconomic status and without privilege. Kids just want to be heard and not judged.”
However before she can work in a school district, she will need to get her master’s degree; something she plans on pursuing soon.
Preparation is key when it comes to your career, and without taking the time to plan what you need to pursue your chosen job, it can be hard to achieve this.
Something as simple as looking for a professional resume writing service like ARC Resumes (www.arcresumes.com) to help improve one’s resume is something that Brittany and other career hunters should consider if they want to land that job of their dreams.
Of course, you need to make sure you choose the path that is in your best interest, just like Brittany is.
She plans on working in case management upon graduation. As a newlywed, she said she wants to focus on a bit about on her graduate schooling before anything else. Furthermore, she stated that if it hadn’t been for her studies, she and her husband would have taken a private jet vacation. They canceled their trip because studies were more important to them. She said they were even going to find out how much does it cost to own a private jet, but things didn’t go as planned.
Nevertheless, the good news is Brittany will graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from ASU this spring.
