Angel Gonzalez

Major: Psychology

Class of: 2017

I grew up in the small community of Tahoe. After I graduated from high school, I naturally wanted to leave my small town behind and explore. I spent two years attending a big public university in the bay area, but it was difficult to adjust. I found myself in huge lecture halls, sitting next to strangers during every lecture and never interacting with the instructor.

Brennen Lagasse’s Social Justice and Sustainability class has been a big influence on me here at SNC. He’s an incredibly intelligent instructor, who pushes his students out of their comfort zone to be critical and question important issues surrounding us. He sharpened my critical thinking skills, and most importantly taught me not to be afraid of voicing my opinion.

For my project in that class, I had the opportunity to travel down to Reno and interview the homeless. My goal was to expose their humanity to the rest of us and reduce the stigma of living on the streets, so I created an exhibit that expressed their concerns and daily struggles.

My inspiration is always to inspire change, acceptance, and holistic thinking. I want to challenge people’s perspectives and my own biases. We are all part of this world and we must maintain its beauty and make it better for future generations. I have always been curious as to why we are who we are, and psychology offers the analytic tools to find out.

As a senior in Psychology I am learning how to conduct research in psychology. In the future I hope to continue doing research, to contribute to the field and to inspire change in the world. I would like to have my own private practice offering services to the low-income population, and who knows maybe President of the United States.

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