"In 2009, I came to UW-Parkside as a sophomore. I declared Psychology as a major with the intention of going into social work or counseling as a career, but after taking a few classes I began to change my mind. During the summer of 2010, I was very fortunate to receive an internship working on the program evaluation end of a 3-year grant. Along with my internship, I was taking Psychology Statistics and believe this was my turning point. I began to see a whole new side to this field: research. As the semesters went on, I became more confident that I was headed in the right direction and while my plans from the start with Psychology had changed, this degree wouldn't be a waste by any means. I graduated in May 2012, I applied for many positions, had a few interviews, but recently accepted a position as a Community Researcher through UW-Madison placed in Kenosha County. I will be doing research in households throughout Kenosha County for a project named the Community Transformation Grant which will help to promote healthy living and prevention of chronic disease in the community. To me this position represents much more than just a paycheck. This position represents triumph for every person who has ever told me the only thing you can do with a degree in Psychology is get a masters degree. I owe my thanks to the Psychology department at Parkside for highlighting the importance of research in the field, truly caring about their students, and preparing me for this chapter in my life. There is a lot to be said about having a great education and even more to be said about attending a university where you are given the opportunity to do the work that prepares you for your future and your career. I am forever grateful for all of the experiences I had at UW-Parkside and could not have made a better choice in the end by pursuing Psychology."

Brittany Aceto
(formerly Brittany Macareno)