Alumni Notes MARY JO OLIVER B A C H E L O R O F S C I E N C E I N P S Y C H O L O G Y, CLASS OF 2019 My journey through Liberty’s psychology department began after my transfer from a community college. Initially focused on navigating my future career goals, my trajectory changed suddenly after attending a prerequisite class in behavioral science research. As I learned the significance of research and its impact on psychology, my interest in the field began to grow. My time at Liberty in both undergraduate and graduate school reflects my desire to understand God’s creation through psychological research. My research experience at an undergraduate level continued after my advising professor encouraged me to apply for the Daniel’s Program. The undergraduate research team focused on the conceptual understanding of compassionate love and empathy and the predictors of forgiveness. Under the phenomenal Dr. Kim and my fellow peers, the group’s hard work and passion for the project remained evident throughout the IRB approval process, data analysis, and journal authorship. In the end, our group presented at one national and three regional conferences and received
publication in the Journal of Psychology and Theology. After this, I definitively oriented my scholastic and vocational goals toward studying and producing high-quality research for practitioners from this experience. After finishing my undergraduate degree in 2019, I enrolled in the master’s program focusing on developmental psychology and am currently writing my thesis on applied forgiveness intervention. My relationship with the psychology department continues in my current position as a graduate teaching assistant for Dr. Kelly. I count it a unique privilege and blessing to teach new students about the significance of research. Currently, my plans for postgraduate work include pursuing a Ph.D. in the field of community health psychology. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate experiences, I discovered the necessity for quality research that evaluates and understands the needs of at-risk populations. My passion for psychological research has only grown from my first class at Liberty, and I plan to use the skills I have obtained from Liberty to bring people closer to Christ. I hope that my life will reflect a desire to see the Gospel spread throughout academia as a professor or researcher.
School of Behavioral Sciences
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