Psychology Alumna Profile — Alicia Mendez, Ph.D.

“I loved being part of the psychology major at UW. I am so proud that I was trained there and learned as much about research as many do in the first few years as a doctoral student. To this day, I still boast about how UW's Psychology program meant I was learning from giants in the field – something that I didn't realize was quite unique as it is for a university of this caliber.”

Alicia Mendez, Ph.D.
UW Psychology Alumna, BA 2016

“I didn’t graduate from high school, at least not in the traditional sense,” recalls Alicia Mendez who now holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from Rutgers University and is a faculty member at Boston University. Alicia earned her high school diploma at North Seattle Community College just prior to transferring to the University of Washington in the fall of 2014. Raised by a single mother, her father having immigrated to the US from Mexico, neither of Alicia’s parents graduated from high school which made her own pathway… difficult, to say the least. “I used to feel so much shame for being a ‘high school dropout,’ but now I know there are so many of us with varied backgrounds trying to earn a college degree.”

Alicia credits her time as a psychology major at UW with laying a strong academic and research foundation. She highlights both the PSYCH 299 (Transfer Academic Community) class that she took in her first quarter and provided a sense of belonging and community at UW and the Psychology Honors Program that provided her with an exceptional foundation in research as having made important impacts on her UW journey and ultimate success. She recalls favorite classes… cognitive psychology with Dr. Yuichi Shoda, social psychology with Dr. Stephanie Fryberg, and drugs and behavior with Dr. Jaime Diaz. Dr. Shoda was also Alicia’s Honors Program mentor, along with then graduate student and now Dr. Laura Brady.

As well as being a Psychology Honors student, Alicia was a member of the UW McNair Scholars Program which is designed for first-generation college students who also hold other minoritized identities. ”This program, like the psychology transfer class, gave me a cohort of friends who also had the radical idea of pursuing a Ph.D., despite being ‘non-traditional’ students,” recalls Alicia, “it was an empowering program and they were very honest about what to expect in a Ph.D. program.”

Alicia enjoyed being in the company of so many others who were interested in seeing answers to complicated questions about behavior and other structures that may influence our perceptions of the world. The ability to learn with and from people at the cutting edge of psychological science was phenomenal. Alicia went on to earn both Master’s and Doctorate degrees in social work from Rutgers University. Now a Research Assistant Professor at Boston University, she specializes in intergenerational trauma, post-traumatic growth, child sexual abuse, child welfare services and policy, narrative inquiry, and first-generation college students.

Advice for new or potential psychology majors… “Get connected in some way to make UW feel smaller and for you to find your people,” says Alicia. Find your people. Create your community. Never stop moving fearlessly toward your goals.