Turning 30 has a way of clarifying your priorities, or so it was for me. As I approached that milestone back in 2011, I knew that the journalism field I had spent the better part of a decade in wasn't where I wanted to spend my life. I wanted out, but I wasn't sure what else I was qualified to do. It might sound hokey, but watching TV characters in mental health roles, like Kelsey Grammar on "Frasier" and Heather Graham on "Scrubs," ignited a spark that, with reflection and research, convinced me I belonged in one of the "helping" professions. With no psychology background at all, I quit my job and returned to school full-time, first as an undergrad to earn a Bachelor's in psychology. Only after that did I consider following another impulse by leaving my home in Georgia for a new life in California. In some ways, I think leaving my writing job was a bigger leap than moving across the country. At any rate, I did both, and haven't regretted either decision. I'm excited to be in a field where I can make a real difference in kids' lives, and love learning new things in a new field. Outside of class, I eat too much Chinese food and read too many political sites. I'm always up for a friendly Buzz Lightyear competition at Disneyland if anyone needs to blow off steam.
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