BIO
- NAME: Xavier Lee Brown
- PREFERRED PRONOUNS: He/him/his
- HOMETOWN: Hastings, Michigan
- YEAR AT MURRAY STATE: Senior
- DEGREE: Major – Psychology, Minor – Biology
- QUIRKY FACT: I enjoy playing chess!
- A FAVORITE: Bo Burnham’s comedy special Inside is one of my favorite things to watch. I just love the realness of it along with Bo’s ability to make you feel all sorts of emotion while simultaneously making you laugh.
- FAVORITE FOOD OR DRINK TO GET ON CAMPUS: I love to get the sushi in the Curris Center.
- FAVORITE CAMPUS EVENT: I like being able to sit in on Scholar’s week on campus.
Q&A
Why did you choose to attend Murray State?
Initially, it was mostly out of convenience because I went to high school at Calloway and had family nearby, but in the end I would say it turned out rather well and I’ve appreciated my time in the psychology department at MSU.
Why did you choose your major and minor?
I was originally a bio pre-med major my freshman year out of interest in becoming a psychiatrist, but I ended up deciding clinical psychology was closer to my passion for mental health and being able to help others, so I decided to change my major to psychology and keep biology as a minor to learn about the biological perspective.
Tell us about a few of your favorite courses, projects, or mentors.
I have to give a shout out to my main research mentors, Dr. David Herring (who’s no longer at Murray State) and Dr. Patrick Cushen, for all their contribution in helping me grow my skill sets and expand my research interests. Without them I wouldn’t have the research projects under my belt and experience presenting findings at scholar’s week in front of other researchers.
A favorite course of mine would have to be the internship class as it gave me both valuable experience and led to me getting a job at the counseling center I did my internship at. I also loved learning about disorders in abnormal psychology in addition to all of the philosophy classes I’ve taken with Dr. Rory Goggins.
Tell us about any accomplishments you’ve experienced while at Murray State, or any clubs/organizations you’ve enjoyed being a part of.
I’ve enjoyed being a part of the National Society of Leadership and Success as well as holding many leadership positions, including president. Through the NSLS I’ve been able to further develop my skill set as both a leader and team player and I highly expect what I’ve learned through this organization to help be successful in the professional world.
An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is arranging a crisis text line volunteer group on campus for me and other students interested in clinical psychology to be able to make a meaningful impact on the community by helping people in their time of need while honing our clinical skills.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I plan to continue my education at MSU by applying and (hopefully) being accepted into the clinical psychology masters program in the psychology department. I will also be working at a counseling center in Massac County while I continue my education to get more hands-on experience in the field. I eventually plan to shoot for a PsyD and after some years in practice, applying some of my knowledge to research to provide more of a long-term impact to help those with mental health problems.
What advice would you give to incoming students at Murray State?
Don’t be afraid to explore other areas of study early on and involve yourself in something besides just your day-to-day classes. It will immensely help you in developing yourself and finding out what you truly love and want out of life. I would strongly recommend a philosophy class with Dr. Goggins, no matter your major. Finally, and most importantly, learn to balance self-care with school work so you don’t burn out on stress and lose all of your motivation to do anything!
Thanks so much, Xavier!
College of humanities and fine arts 