Maya, from Centerville OH, chose Ohio State for its numerous opportunities both on campus and in the city of Columbus. Initially a neuroscience major, Maya switched to psychology when she discovered she was more interested in human behavior than the neural mechanisms behind behavior.

In the psychology department, Maya conducted research with Dr. Fujita in his social psychology lab related to motivation and goal pursuit. “I think [these] are fascinating topics as I am constantly setting new goals, and I love being able to bring concepts from the lab into my own life.”

Outside of psychology, she also conducts research under an engineer at The Battelle Center related to the Overview Effect.  Maya states, “It has been really exciting to find new ways to connect psychological constructs to spaceflight. This lab has challenged me to bring all of my previous knowledge to the table, and I hope to successfully conduct a study on this topic and present it at a conference.”

Maya’s advice to new psychology students is get involved early, pick your courses carefully, and if interested in research “don’t be afraid to look at the work that faculty are doing in other departments” as well as within psychology.

After graduation, Maya is considering obtaining a PhD in psychology and working as a researcher in the technology industry.