November 2019
Shannon Shaughnessy
BA Psychology; minor in International Studies (Culture and Identity in Latin America) ‘20
Hometown: Flushing, Michigan
Affiliations: Group leader for Wolverine Support Network, research assistant for Dr. Graham-Bermann in the Department of Psychology, and an undergraduate intern at the University Center for the Child and Family
“I spent my summer volunteering for a nonprofit in India through the support of the Center for South Asian Studies’ Summer in South Asia Fellowship and the Longwood Fellowship through the Program in International and Comparative Studies. I lived in Mumbai for six weeks working for Enabling Leadership (EL), an innovative nonprofit that runs soccer, music, and Legos programs for underprivileged kids. These programs help kids attain life skills to become future leaders and problem solvers. I was in the Monitoring and Evaluation Sector, and I helped EL create a scale to measure the effectiveness of its programs. Once the scale was created, we went into schools all over Mumbai to pilot it. I spent two more weeks in India at the conclusion of my fellowship, and I was able to travel all over the north and even see the Taj Mahal. It was truly an incredible experience!”
Future plans: “I want to get a PhD in clinical psychology and work as a child psychologist. I’m particularly interested in the intersection of culture and psychology, so I know this field, including the lessons I learned in India, will be at the center of my work in the future.”
