This month, the Department of Psychology is pleased to bring you 5 Questions with senior and psychology major Rayane Prado Nunes.
UWPsych: Why did you choose to study Psychology?
Prado Nunes: I have always been extremely interested in understanding why people do what they do, what their motivations are, how they view the world, and where certain behaviors come from. So, studying psychology was the perfect fit to understand the question from a holistic approach; from biology-based to social perspectives, from the individual to the large societal level. Moreover, few degrees are as versatile as psychology, which was a great point for me because I have so many different interests; from academia to industry and all the possibilities in between.
UWPsych: What is a favorite psychology class you have taken (or a lab/club experience you’ve had) and why?
Prado Nunes: I absolutely loved taking Social Psychology (Psych 456) with Megan Bruun (a PhD candidate at the time)! I’m also extremely passionate about the work I do as a Research Assistant at both the Social Kids Lab (led by Kristin Shutts in which we study how children understand the social world) and the Infant Learning Lab (led by Jenny Saffran in which we study how babies understand/learn language).
UWPsych: Has a professor, advisor, TA or classmate made a difference in your psychology education? How so?
Prado Nunes: I’m truly grateful for everyone that has helped me in my journey so far, I consider myself extremely lucky to have such great mentors! Besides my amazing PIs, I would like to also shout-out my graduate student mentors Ellie Breitfeld (form the Infant Learning Lab) and Eren Fukuda (from the Social Kids Lab) as well as one of the lab managers Natalie Sarmiento (from the Social Kids Lab). Also, Professor Jeffrey Henriques, my first ever class at UW was Intro Psych (Psych 202) with him during SCE in 2021 and he was of great help with smoothing my transition to university life (especially as an international student during Covid).
UWPsych: How do you spend your time outside of school? Are you involved in any extracurriculars or jobs?
Prado Nunes: I’m very involved on campus (maybe even too involved hahaha). I’ve held multiple jobs on campus, such as being a Peer Advisor for the Cross-College Advising Services and a Peer Mentor for The Studio Learning Community, but nowadays I work as a House Fellow (or Resident Assistant) in Ogg Hall. Additionally, I’m a First Wave scholar, a sibling of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc., a Cross-Cultural Speakers REACH Ambassador for Brazil, and a member of Psi Chi. Besides my extracurriculars, you can find me reading science fiction books, playing with artistic make-up, baking desserts, taking pictures of people and nature, and watching anything related to performance art (theatre, dance, spoken word).
UWPsych: Best advice for students considering a psych major or who have recently declared?
Prado Nunes: Don’t be afraid to send that email! If you’re truly interested in talking more to a faculty member, enrolling in a class you might not have all the requirements for, or learning more about certain opportunities, ask about it! Even if the answer is no, at least you’ll know you did everything you can. Some of my best experiences on campus came from sending that email/message I thought might’ve been too bold.