NCC alumna maps path to bachelor鈥檚 & graduate school
Psychology grad aspires to future in a group counseling practice听
This spring, Caroline Lamar is set to graduate from Suffolk University in Boston with a degree in psychology and minor in sociology. On the way, Caroline earned her associate degree from 爱播视频 in 2022.
The College Experience
鈥淚 went to NCC for my associate degree in psychology and now I鈥檓 finishing up my senior year at Suffolk University in Boston and minoring in Sociology as well, and the next steps are basically going to William James College in the fall for mental health counseling and marriage and family therapy,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 really wanted to go to grad school right after my bachelor鈥檚 and get my license, my hours, and begin working in a group practice which is what I picture for myself after the master鈥檚 program.鈥�
Originally from Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, Caroline attended Souhegan High School, taking her junior year at Granite State Arts Academy to explore the music and art curriculum. After high school, Caroline knew she wanted to explore psychology.
鈥淚鈥檝e always had an interest in other people and how they interact with each other, and specifically marriage and family therapy, because I鈥檓 really interested in family dynamics and how couples interact, because I grew up with family being the number one priority. Originally, I was thinking of forensic psychology, but I switched gears.鈥�
Caroline enrolled at NCC in 2020 while most classes were online due to the pandemic, until her final two semesters when more in-person classes returned. Despite the online format, Caroline was able to connect with professors, like Professor David Rondeau, program coordinator of psychology. 听
鈥淧rofessor Rondeau was someone who really supported me, especially in research methods class 鈥� one of the hardest classes I鈥檝e taken so far. The way class was framed was very supportive for people, but you need to take responsibility for your research. I was really focused on having all the criteria he needed for the class, and I had fun. I did my research on narcissistic CEO鈥檚 in companies, I wanted to do something different in areas people don鈥檛 normally think about.鈥�
Professor Rondeau said, 鈥淐aroline maximized her experience by being fully invested and the perfect balance of confidence and humility about the work. She鈥檚 an ideal example of 鈥榶ou get out what you put in,鈥� and she has limitless potential as a clinician and undoubtedly eventually leadership of clinicians or an agency.鈥�
Her final semester, she also interned at Girls Inc. in Nashua. 鈥淭hat was really fun. I was with Professor (Jayne) Barnes taking her class, it was my first internship and I learned a lot working with the girls 鈥� supporting them and empowering them to help them in their everyday lives.鈥�
Professor Barnes taught three of Caroline鈥檚 psychology classes while she was at NCC, and remembered her as a dedicated student, 鈥淚n the Internship /Capstone course, Caroline consistently stood out.听Her thirst for knowledge is admirable, and she consistently seeks out opportunities to expand her intellectual horizons.听Caroline is not only highly intelligent but also possesses strong critical thinking skills and an ability to approach complex problems with a creative and analytical mindset which was demonstrated at her internship听at Girls Inc. in Nashua.鈥�
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Transferring to Suffolk University
After NCC, Caroline headed straight to Suffolk University. 鈥淚 definitely wanted to go to a more metropolitan area and expand my world, and Boston was the perfect place for me; not too far from home, and not too close. It was awesome, and I wanted to see the psych program here, and I鈥檝e had a lot of success making new connections, which was something I was apprehensive about because I was so used to being home on my computer.鈥�
While working on her bachelor鈥檚 degree, Caroline鈥檚 been able to participate in research presentations with her faculty advisor, 鈥淚鈥檝e been able to be a part of her research and doctoral student research, it鈥檚 helped me get more clarity on my future career.鈥�
She鈥檚 also had first-hand experience in internships with Immigration Services Center, and the Lionheart Foundation.
鈥淎s part of degree program, I interned with Immigration Services Center, helping people gain citizenship and meeting one-on-one with clients. That was a valuable experience as well, I hadn鈥檛 worked with adults yet, it was a lot of legal information I got to learn too.鈥�
She interned online with the Lionheart Foundation out of Dedham, Mass., in the summer of 2023. 鈥淭hey provide services for residential workers who need support in the workplace and mentally, and connect resources. I was reaching out to companies all over Mass. and the US. That was also really cool getting to interact with everyone, and also there was definitely a marketing aspect to that too.鈥�
Now weeks away from earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree, Caroline said starting at NCC and transferring to Suffolk University was 鈥渆asier than expected.鈥�
鈥淚 definitely recommend it to anyone. For psychology it鈥檚 definitely really helpful because once you start at NCC for example, or another community college, you get the good quality and one-on-one relationship with professors because classes are smaller, and they also try to give you the classes you might get later in your four-year degree during your two-year degree, so it鈥檚 easier to transfer.鈥�
鈥淎t Suffolk, I basically only had to take electives and a few main psych classes, and most of it was my minor, which was really helpful.鈥�
Financially, starting at a community college was helpful too, she said, 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not sure what you want to focus on, you get flexibility with your financial situation since you鈥檙e not locked into a four-year school right away. Community college is definitely the way to go.鈥�
鈥淣CC was a great platform for me to have with my education starting out in higher education, and I wouldn鈥檛 trade it for anything. It helped me build a lot of professional skills in the beginning right out of high school, and it was a really smooth transition for me, and I really appreciate that.鈥�
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