In order to successfully navigate our rapidly changing world, it’s paramount that students seek to achieve academic excellence throughout their journey at John Jay College. The students featured in our “Academic Excellence” article series have actively demonstrated an outstanding ability to excel in their educational endeavors. As a result of their intellectual capacities, finely honed skills, and altruistic leadership qualities, these students are often selected for competitive programs, awards, scholarships, fellowships, and research opportunities that further enrich their studies. We hope that their accomplishments inspire us all to pursue excellence in our own academic and professional journeys.
Yareli Perez ’21, a Forensic Psychology major from Queens, New York, has her mind set on going to grad school to earn her doctorate in Psychology. This fall semester, she’s going to do something no one in her family has ever done—earn her bachelor’s degree—and she’s determined to keep that academic momentum going throughout grad school. “I was born in Mexico, but I grew up in New York City. When my mom came here, they told her she didn’t have sufficient credits to graduate from college, and she thought the process of going back to school was going to be too difficult, but she’s excited for me to graduate,” says Perez, who currently has a 3.9 GPA. “When I came to her with the idea of getting my Ph.D.—and I explained how long it would take—she was a little in shock. She’s still not 100 percent okay with it, but she’s going to support me and knows that I’m growing up. I think she’s worried that she’ll miss me if I go away to school.” After Perez finished her shift at Target—she works 30 hours a week in retail—she sat down with us to share her educational journey at John Jay.
Finding Her Interest in Psychology
Growing up, Perez was fascinated by psychological crime shows like Criminal Minds, Castle, and Bones and was hooked on the idea of becoming a mental health professional that could help others. “Once I found out that John Jay had an excellent Forensic Psychology Department and an Honors Program, I knew it was definitely the right school for me,” she says. “What made me know that Forensic Psychology was the right major for me was getting into my Abnormal Psychology course. From there I was like, This is it, this is what I want to do.” Adjunct Professor Krystel Salandanan Psy.D. opened Perez’s eyes to the realities of the mental health field by describing the work environment at Bellevue Hospital. Instead of deterring her, it deepened Perez’s resolve. “She showed us a film where they depicted what life was like for people in Bellevue, and it made me realize that we need more people to work within this workforce.”
Getting Guidance from McNair
Before becoming a McNair scholar, a master’s degree was Perez’s furthest academic aspiration. “But, I had a classmate who was in the McNair program and she told me about her experience and her desire to get a Ph.D.; so, I decided to give it a shot.” At first Perez wasn’t convinced that a doctorate program was the right path for her, but diving deeper into her own psychological research sealed the deal on her Ph.D. dreams. Currently, Perez is preparing for a psychology conference at the University of California, Los Angeles where she’ll be presenting her McNair research project. “My project is looking at adult perceptions on sexual abuse cases, specifically looking at the gender of the perpetrator and of the victim as well. I’m combining that with my Honor’s project, which is specifically looking at victim age,” says Perez. “Right now, I’m going through the IRB [Institutional Review Board] process. I have a sexual abuse vignette written out and I’m working on a questionnaire to give to my participants. It’ll be conducted online once I have the approval from the IRB. Fortunately, I did get funding from OSRC (the Office for Student Research & Creativity) to help me with the process.”
“I was fortunate enough to get into the Mayor’s Office for Mental Health. What my group is currently looking at is how we can incentivize more people to go into the mental health workforce.” —Yareli Perez
In an effort to broaden her academic experiences and enhance her resume for grad school, this summer Perez participated in the Center for Career & Professional Development’s “Careers and Multidisciplinary Projects” program—known as CCPD Summer CAMP, which is a five-week program where students are paired with different organizations across the City for hands-on experience. “I was fortunate enough to get into the Mayor’s Office for Mental Health. They provide you with a problem and you have to provide a solution,” says Perez. “What my group is currently looking at is how we can incentivize more people to go into the mental health workforce. That’s the problem we have to look at and we have five weeks to come up with possible solutions that we have to present. I’m really excited about it because it’s in the mental health field.”
This coming fall, Perez is looking forward to working with her mentor, Professor Elizabeth Jeglic, Ph.D., who specializes in sexual violence prevention. “I’ve already asked her if she would allow me to work in her lab and she said yes, with the possibility of even co-teaching with her in the winter. She’s amazing. As I’m applying to grad schools, I’m considering applying to John Jay because I’d like to work with her on my doctorate. Based on her mentorship, I’d like to ask for her advice and learn from her on how she got to where she is today,” says Perez.
“Without McNair, I don’t think I would have been able to have that full experience of not only doing research but conducting my own research on what interests me.” —Yareli Perez
Looking Toward the Future
In terms of doctorate programs, Perez is hoping to find a graduate school with a strong clinical psychology program that has a specialization in forensics. Her drive and courage to continue her academic journey to a terminal degree comes directly from McNair. “I’m looking both in state and out of state because Dr. Lee [Ernest Lee, Ph.D. Associate Director of John Jay’s McNair Program] always says, ‘Do you want a Ph.D. or a Ph.D. in New York? Look everywhere.’ Now, I have a list of 10 schools that I’m interested in,” says Perez. “The greatest thing that McNair has done for me is expose me to research itself. This research process has shown me that a doctorate is something that I’m capable of earning and something I can be passionate about. I like the fact that I have to do the IRB process, get the information myself, then I have to analyze it too, so I get like the full experience of research. Without McNair, I don’t think I would have been able to have that full experience of not only doing research but conducting my own research on what interests me.” In 10 years, Perez hopes to have earned her Ph.D. and be working at an organization that helps sexual assault victims. “Because of John Jay, I know that I will become a doctor one day and get my Ph.D.”
