Insights from the Class of 2026

Do you have a favourite memory or moment during your time as a psychology undergraduate student?
I can’t choose an individual moment, but I truly cherished my entire directed studies experience with Dr. Laurin and the MAGIC Lab. Designing an intensive study while leading a large research team showed me the gruelling level of effort required to produce even a single finding. The moments I smile at most fondly are actually the grittier parts of the process. Whether it was troubleshooting Qualtrics for the hundredth time, wrestling with Excel formulas that made me question my sanity, or teaching myself an acoustic analysis software overnight, those challenges taught me more about research and my own capabilities than any lecture or reading could. We even experienced some heat-wave induced delirium during a marathon interview session, but those were the kind of moments that made our final results feel earned. Navigating the process alongside brilliant colleagues and supervisors made even the longest hours feel rewarding, and I’m just incredibly grateful to have been part of such a dedicated team.

During your time as a student, which psychological concept or theory piqued your interest—and why?
System justification theory is at the root of essentially all my interests. Its core premise is that people often defend the very structures that oppress them because believing in a just system is the path of least cognitive resistance. Connecting that to intersectional theory in particular changed my whole worldview. An immigrant woman of colour, for instance, is moving through an entire obstacle course at once, each hurdle with its own warped logic and structure. Fighting every single one of those barriers simultaneously is exhausting, so accepting the status quo is often critical for simple survival. Justifying these systems, on the other hand, reinforces the insidious claim that such hierarchies or inequities exist by nature or based on merit. The resulting closed loop makes the cycle almost impossible to break. It was this realization that ultimately drove me to pursue research in social perception and status.

If you could provide incoming psychology undergraduate students with one piece of advice, what would it be?
Let your master plan fall apart. You have no idea who you’re going to be in a few years, let alone what that future version of you is going to want. In fact, the person you are on your first day of university will be a complete stranger to the person walking across the graduation stage, and that’s exactly how it should be! A random comment in a lecture, a rough breakup, or an unexpected friendship can completely rewrite what you thought you wanted out of life. I remember feeling utterly nauseous at that thought, but I now see it as a blessing. The happiest and most successful people I know stopped trying to satisfy a dream their eighteen-year-old selves had arbitrarily picked out. If life suddenly pulls you in a different direction, let it. It might be exactly where you were meant to go.

Graduating can be a thrilling—and overwhelming—time. What about this next chapter of your life are you looking forward to?
I'm looking forward to the famously stress-free process of applying to law school this fall! On a more serious note, though, I look forward every day to learning more about the law in my current role as a legal assistant at a family law firm. Seeing firsthand how the justice system actually works and interacting with the people who need it most has been genuinely eye-opening, and I love that every skill I'm picking up there brings me closer to becoming a family lawyer. I'm also pouring my heart and soul into growing ARIA Society, the nonprofit I founded to support Iranian immigrant families and women trying to thrive and establish themselves in Canada. Our mission is deeply personal, as I am an Iranian immigrant woman myself. Underneath it all, I'm genuinely excited to see where this next chapter takes me, especially since it's been such an unexpected one.

Do you have a favourite memory or moment during your time as a psychology undergraduate student?
My favorite moment during my undergrad was attending PURC and seeing the passion and dedication my classmates had poured into all their research. It made me proud to be part of such a supportive community.

During your time as a student, which psychological concept or theory piqued your interest—and why?
Through my research, I became especially interested in how identity and human connection shape people’s experiences, and it changed the way I think about both myself and others.

If you could provide incoming psychology undergraduate students with one piece of advice, what would it be?
The best and only competition in university, and in life, should be yourself. It can be easy to compare yourself when surrounded by so many intelligent people. You are here for a reason, trust that and strive to be better than you were yesterday.

Graduating can be a thrilling—and overwhelming—time. What about this next chapter of your life are you looking forward to?
Balancing work, research, and university taught me a lot about resilience and personal growth, and I am excited to carry those lessons into the next chapter of my life. More than anything, I look forward to continuing to learn about myself and build a future that feels meaningful and fulfilling.

Do you have a favourite memory or moment during your time as a psychology undergraduate student?
Even though I was only at the lab for a shorter time as a transfer student, I was super lucky to get some great opportunities to work there. I still vividly remember my first day at the Infant Studies Centre. I was really nervous about working in a new lab, meeting new people, and being part of the team on the project. But everyone in the lab was incredibly welcoming and supportive, and they helped me out in so many ways. With all their help, I gained invaluable experience as part of the research team, participating in data collection and analysis. I’ll never forget all the memories and warmhearted moments in the lab throughout my academic career.

During your time as a student, which psychological concept or theory piqued your interest—and why?
I found the Theory of Mind really fascinating. When I took the PSYC 413 course with Dr. Andrew Baron, I got to dive into some interesting papers on the topic. For instance, the twin study by Hughes et al. (2008) showed that environmental factors, whether shared or not with siblings, have a bigger impact than genetic ones, and this also applies to atypical children. It was eye-opening for me to see how atypical individuals develop their understanding of others’ minds, and it turns out it’s not all that different from how typically developing children do it.

If you could provide incoming psychology undergraduate students with one piece of advice, what would it be?
Doing an undergraduate program, especially if you’re majoring in psychology, is like a four-year adventure. It’s super cool to learn new and fascinating stuff, but it can also be pretty tiring and stressful with the heavy and consistent workload. Finding ways to unwind and release stress is the key, and that’ll make the whole journey even more interesting and enjoyable.

Graduating can be a thrilling—and overwhelming—time. What about this next chapter of your life are you looking forward to?
I am now preparing to apply for graduate school to continue my studies in a Master’s and Ph.D. in sports psychology. I am particularly interested in sports psychology, especially in operationalizing cognitive variables such as acute stress, performance slumps, and personal psychological pressures and investigating how these indications manifest in the brain and actual athleticism.

Do you have a favourite memory or moment during your time as a psychology undergraduate student?
One of my favourite memories is from a lab social in the Relationships and Health Lab. We had a potluck, and it was such a nice opportunity to connect with everyone outside of a research setting. I got to know my peers, graduate students, and Dr. Rosie Shrout on a more personal level, which made the environment feel incredibly warm and welcoming. It really reflected how people in the lab bring so much of themselves beyond academics. Moments like that made me reflect on my undergraduate journey as a whole and feel genuinely grateful for the sense of community and consistent support I found in the labs I was part of.

During your time as a student, which psychological concept or theory piqued your interest—and why?
A concept that really stood out to me came from Dr. Lam’s Adulthood and Aging course. The Selective Optimization with Compensation model shifted the way I think about aging. It highlights how people adapt by focusing on their strengths, making the most of their abilities, and finding new ways to navigate challenges. I appreciated how it moves beyond the idea of aging as just decline and instead emphasizes growth in emotional and cognitive domains. That perspective really stayed with me and played a big role in shaping my interest in aging and health psychology research.

If you could provide incoming psychology undergraduate students with one piece of advice, what would it be?
One thing I would say is that there is no single path to achieving your goals, especially in psychology at UBC. Everyone’s journey can look a bit different, and that is completely okay. Take initiative and talk to the people around you, whether that is professors or peers, because those conversations often open doors to opportunities you might not have considered. Connecting with professors was especially valuable for me in understanding what different research areas and career paths actually look like. At the same time, try to build meaningful relationships, stay present, and enjoy the experience as you go!

Graduating can be a thrilling—and overwhelming—time. What about this next chapter of your life are you looking forward to?
During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Nancy Sin in the Uplift Health Lab, an experience that played a central role in shaping the path I am choosing now. Being part of a space where support, generosity, and collaboration were so present made such a lasting impression on me and showed me what meaningful research environments can look like. I especially value the lab’s commitment to equity and diversity, which is reflected not only in the research itself but in how people show up for one another. That experience is a big part of why I am so excited to return this fall to begin my master’s and PhD at UBC. I am looking forward to continuing this work in aging, positive emotions, and health behaviours, and to growing within a community that has already had such a strong influence on who I am becoming.