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Student Spotlight Name: Munyi Shea Program: Counseling Psychology, Department of Clinical and Counseling Psychology School: Teachers College, Columbia University Year in program: 6th Expected year of graduation: May 2008 Research Interests: Asian immigrant youth cultural adjustment and career development, cross-cultural issues in counseling and clinical psychology, culturally responsive intervention 1. What led you to choose your field of study? I wanted to be a writer or a journalist when I was younger. Then I changed my mind and wanted to become a detective – that was the time when I was an avid reader of Agatha Christie’s books and other Japanese detective stories. A common thread is that I want to understand what is going on and what the other person is thinking or feeling. Psychology provides me an ideal platform, whether through research or clinical work, for asking these questions and trying to understand others’ behaviors and experiences. What I appreciate most for being a counseling psychologist is that I have the privilege to listen to my clients and research participants’ life stories. Their narratives often led me to ponder upon some difficult topics like suffering, loss, and resilience; and humble me in the way I think of my professional and personal growth. 2. Who has had the most impact on your professional development and why? My family and my dissertation sponsor, Professor Christine Yeh, for their unwavering support and belief in me. My parents are always patient with my career exploration, maybe because they were rebels themselves and have had somewhat challenging career paths (my dad is a professional musician). Professor Yeh is brilliant, inspiring, and always positive and encouraging. Without her, I would not have come so far in my professional development. 3. What challenges have you encountered in graduate learning? Like many other graduate students, a great challenge for me is the sense of aloneness when doing my dissertation project – it was a program development and intervention study. I felt that I was the only one involved with (and interested in) my project from the beginning to the end, and the only one who knew all the complex constructs and details. The sense of responsibility could be suffocating. It was amplified when my advisor relocated to another city before my data collection. Fortunately, I stayed connected with my friends and research teammates, who offered emotional support and great perspectives. My advisor managed to talk to me whenever she was in town and made sure I stayed on course. Truth to be told, I was quite amazed that, despite the challenge, I finished my dissertation within a year. 4. What has been your most rewarding experience as a graduate student? The opportunity to work with low-income Chinese immigrant family and youth in New York City has been my most rewarding and memorable experience as a graduate student. I felt that the past five years have been a wonderful ethnographic journey. I am honored to have crossed paths with these people through my dissertation project as well as my clinical work. They taught me perseverance. 5. Describe what your ideal career/life will be like in 5 years. I like to be in the field! So I hope that I will be able to continue my work with immigrants and develop programs/services for them. I would love the opportunity to go to different countries and conduct cross-cultural psychological research and clinical training. On a personal note, I am getting married this summer. My fiancé and I love dogs and children, so we are hoping to have many in the next five years (just kidding!). 6. What are three words that others would use to describe you? Thoughtful, kind, playful, 7. What is an interesting thing about yourself that no one really knows about? Between me and my sibling, we have about 100 stuffed animals. Some of them are in Hong Kong (where I grew up) and some of them are here. 8. What do you do for fun? I like pretty things and I am a visual person. So seeing beautiful things such as a fine painting, an interesting interior design, a well-executed dish of food, or gorgeous natural scenery can make me happy. For these reasons, I love cooking, traveling, browsing around and talking to people to learn about their ideas. I also like to read and play tennis. Name: Yong Park Research Interests: East Asian Relationship Norms, Asian American Family Conflict, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Career Counseling Publications (if any): Park, Y. S., & Kim, B. S. K. (in press).
Asian and
European American Cultural Values and Communication Styles among Asian
American College Students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority
Psychology. Email: ypark@education.ucsb.edu 1. What led you to choose your field of study? Growing up in a predominately White neighborhood, it was difficult for me to reconcile my Korean and American identities. This difficulty was especially salient in my family, where I constantly fought with my parents due to cultural misunderstandings. My close friends, who were mostly Asian, also shared this struggle, but at the time, we did not realize that cultural differences contributed to the conflict. Furthermore, we lacked positive Asian American role models who “blueprinted” what it meant to be Asian American. Instead, we felt like we were creating our own brand of identity, without any kind of guidance. It was not until college, when I took Asian American studies courses and got involved in multicultural research that I felt that being Asian American was a legitimate identity, one that transcended my immediate circle of friends. These experiences inspired me to pursue graduate school in counseling psychology and specialize in Asian American issues. More specifically, my research interests revolve around my past personal experiences, such as family conflict and cultural norms. 2. Who has had the most impact on your professional development and why? If I had to choose one person, she would be Dr. Jeanett Castellanos, my undergraduate mentor. Dr. C has touched the lives of many students and was recently selected to receive the MENTOR Award from Division 12 at the upcoming APA convention in San Francisco. She was the first person outside my family to have faith in my academic abilities and encouraged me to pursue graduate school in counseling psychology. She introduced me to the “five pillars” of academic success, which is a model she created to help students get involved in the following areas: relevant/practical experiences, research, teaching, community service, and professional affiliations. Dr. C also shared with me the story of the “freedom train,” which speaks of a mentorship tradition that is passed down from one generation to another with the purpose of helping students become aware of their personal power and instilling in them the value of social responsibility. Dr. C has inspired me to continue on this tradition by reaching out to students and nurturing mentoring relationships of my own. 3. What challenges have you encountered in graduate learning? The day to day endurance tests: late nights, early mornings, 12 hour work days, and a never-ending list of deadlines. I find myself burning out each and every quarter, despite how enthusiastic I am at the beginning of each quarter. Although challenging, I think the busy-ness of graduate school has helped me develop a strong work ethic. In the words of Margaret Mead, “I learned the value of hard work by working hard.” 4. What has been your most rewarding experience as a graduate student? My work with a talented and bright group of undergraduate researchers has been the most rewarding. Although they are a boisterous group, their vitality and passion for Asian American issues energize me. Together we have been apart of many rewarding experiences: several research projects on key Asian American issues (e.g., interracial dating), organization of Virginia Tech open forum, and formation of an AAPA chapter on the UCSB campus. I highly encourage graduate students to connect with undergraduate students on their college campuses. Undergraduate students can be a great resource for you, and in turn, they can benefit from your mentorship. I see it as a win-win situation. 5. Describe what your ideal career/life will be like in 5 years. Sun bathing on the beach, sipping piña coladas, and taking a dip in the ocean….j/k. This is my fantasy in 50 years when I retire! In five years, I hope to secure an academic position in a counseling psychology program. I enjoy the variety of tasks that an academic life brings: teaching, research, advising, counseling, etc... I also want to be married and have two girls and a boy by then. Don’t ask me why? 6. What are three words that others would use to describe you? Reliable, hardworking, and simple. 7. What is an interesting thing about yourself that no one really knows about? I won a spelling bee in fourth grade. My proudest moment and it’s all been downhill since!…j/k. 8. What do you do for fun? A stimulating conversation with friends over good food and drinks is my favorite pastime. I also have fun playing tennis, swimming in the ocean, and joking around with family and friends. 9. How do you stay involved in or plan to be involved in AAPA DoS? I am currently co-chairing the DoS with Bianca Ho and working with a dedicated executive committee. We meet as a team every month over instant messenger, and work on several projects. Currently, we are working towards refining the mentorship program, developing the new DoS website, and drafting a constitution for the Division. 10. Will you be at the AAPA Convention this year, and if so, what are you looking forward to? Yes, I’ll be there. In my first AAPA and APA conventions, I remember being wide-eyed at meeting face to face individuals who I read and heard about in my studies. Naïve as we were, my friend and I went around asking famous psychologists to take pictures with us. My favorite picture is the one we took with Albert Ellis and Derald Sue, who happened to be sitting together; one a giant in CBT the other in multiculturalism. I am most excited to attend the symposium presentations and get new ideas for research. Furthermore, I look forward to re-connecting with old friends and colleagues at the convention.
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