Ever since I was in middle school, psychology has been the field I wanted to follow. Even as a child I was intrigued by human behavior, though I didn’t think about it in those words. As I grew up, the questions became more specific and I became interested in understanding how certain cognitive processes work and what their biological bases are, especially when it comes to learning problem-solving skills and acquiring new knowledge. As a college student I instantly fell in love with psychology, and I decided I wanted to work with children and adolescents. Figuring out what to do after college, however, took a little more time and contemplation. As I looked back at the coursework, research, and work experience I had been fortunate enough to have done or accumulated over these past years, the answer became clear: I want to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology and follow an academic career path. For three years, I had the opportunity to work as a neuropsychological evaluator with a child neurologist and neuropsychologist. I decided to make the most of this experience, which few Psychology students get to have in Guatemala. My job consisted of evaluating children and adolescents using a set of …show more content…
Since this was my own research project and I was supervised by a faculty member, I learned firsthand about every single aspect in the creative design, planning, and execution processes of a formal research project. I not only presented my findings in front of a panel of faculty members who unanimously approved it as a requisite for getting my Licenciatura degree, but I also presented my results at a SIP Congress in El Salvador. Being a poster presenter at a congress was a very rewarding experience because I had the chance to share my project with scholars from other Latin American countries, which ultimately increased my desire to obtain a Ph.D.