Featured Student: Connor Brown

• Year: Junior
• Major/Minor: Psychology/Organizational Communication
• Quirky Fact: I can make balloon animals
• Favorite Food or Drink to Get on Campus: Black and blueberry Sobe
• Favorite Book/Movie/Podcast: The Shawshank Redemption
• Favorite Campus Event: Musicals by the theatre department 

 

Q&A

Why did you choose Murray State University?

Most people from my high school went to Western Kentucky University, which wasn’t really my cup of tea, so I wanted to be different. The Department of Psychology at Murray State is really good, and I like the student-to-faculty ratio and the layout of the campus.  

Why did you choose your major?

That was not a hard decision at all for me.  I knew in the eighth grade that I wanted to go to college for psychology because I knew I wanted to work with people.  I’m good with people, like very empathetic, so it made sense. I think the mental health field is very important, and I feel that I could contribute to that area by helping people down the road. In middle school, I struggled with some mental health stuff, and I went to see a counselor who was just so helpful and insightful and made me look at it in a different way. The counselor really made everything click into place for me, and now I’m exponentially better, so I want to do the same by helping someone else.  

Who have been your mentors?

Dr. Hackathorn for sure.  I can go to her with any questions that I might have, whether it’s personal advice or educational advice.  If she gives me an idea of what to do, I feel very confident following her advice. Also, Dr. Bordieri has done a phenomenal job as my advisor. When other people complain that their advisor isn’t helpful, I can’t relate because I have no idea what that’s like, thanks to him. Finally, Anna Brown, the Resident Director of Franklin, is also a major mentor to me, professionally and personally. She’s encouraged me to get out of my shell and has helped me with my job as an RA on campus, which I really appreciated. 

Tell us about any accomplishments relating to your major. 

I’ve become familiar with the faculty and other students in the Department of Psychology, and that alone is an accomplishment because, coming in freshman year, I didn’t know anybody. In transitions class, they would have seniors and upperclassmen come in and talk about classes and the major, and I thought it was awesome that the faculty chose students to do that. I made that a goal of mine, to be a go-to student for other faculty, and I have accomplished that. I’m a firm believer that the psychology department has some of the best faculty on campus. 

Also, I was involved in Dr. Hackathorn’s research lab for a project about sexism in film throughout the decades. We watched the highest-grossing movies from the 1950s through the 2010s, and we had a scale to measure what we operationally defined as sexism, making tally marks every time there was a sexist remark or action in a movie.  We were able to trace how sexism has increased, decreased, or changed over that span of time. 

I’m gearing up for a DIS (Directed Individual Study) about the best intervention for teaching individuals about certain psychology terms.  I think there are a lot of elements of psychology and descriptions of how people work that are misunderstood but that could be answered if the field of psychology as a whole could explain them more clearly and with less jargon.  So I want to examine the best way to explain psychology to someone who isn’t in the field. I’m getting all the pieces in place this semester, but I will actually begin the study next semester. 

What are your plans after graduation?

For sure, I want to get a master’s degree, hopefully here at Murray State because I love the department.  I’m looking into becoming a Resident Director because that helps finance graduate study, and I’ve loved working in housing during my time here and would like to continue that. 

What advice would you give an incoming freshman at Murray State? 

My best advice is to just go to everything.  You gotta find your people, which can sound scary or confusing, but you can’t do that if you just stay in your room. You have to go out and meet people because the people will be what keeps you here.  You can say you’re just here for the degree, but you’re going to realize how hard college is without friends. You have to put yourself out there and become vulnerable and get involved in something, whether that be the Baptist Campus Ministry, your residential college, Student Government Association, or any other opportunity on campus.. 

“I met Connor last year when he was a student in my Close Relationships course.  He stood out to me, not only because he is incredibly intelligent and personable, but also because he was one of two males in that class.  I was struck by Connor because he was so optimistic and excited about taking the course, and even looked forward to reading a “traditional” trashy romance novel.  Additionally, on the first day of class (as part of an icebreaker), he gave what I consider to be the funniest pick-up line I have ever heard.  I literally laughed out loud for a few minutes.  If anyone gets a chance, they should ask him about it.  Now, I know that his infectious positivity shows up in all of his classes, even the dreaded one (I am fortunate enough to have him in my stats class this semester).  In fact, Connor is such a  wonderful addition to the classroom that he has already earned a positive nickname in the department – the Magical Connor Brown!” – Dr. Hackathorn