Developing a professional mentor relationship +5 (Kathya Lavado-Arrington, Class of 2028)

This summer, I conducted research in the Harvard Department of Psychology’s Laboratory for Developmental Studies, where I explored how children determine who they can trust. I worked under the faculty mentorship of Dr. Ashley Thomas, as well as the mentorship of of the lab manager, Maya Hernandez. Throughout this summer, I was not only able to work with them on a professional level, but also a personal level, as I looked to them for advice on what career paths I should consider following. As a junior who was still trying to figure out my post-college plans, it is without a doubt that I am now interested in pursuing a PhD in psychology, and also continuing to explore the realm of research in general.

Now, even after the program was ended, I was extended an offer to continue working as a research assistant in the Thomas Lab, where I will continue to expand my interest in research in child developments. The ability to keep this positions opens doors to many different prestigious and intellectually cultivating opportunities while also being able to connect it to the work I am producing for my senior thesis.