Emily Kalberer
Staff Writer
High school graduation is often viewed as a big life accomplishment. People host parties, and graduates can sometimes garner hundreds of dollars worth of gifts from family and friends. Everyone buzzes wondering what the graduate is moving onto next. Maybe they’ll join the military, go to college or even learn a trade.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 62% of high school students enroll in college directly after graduation. This opens a whole new can of worms for students, parents and families alike.
Filling out FAFSA, taking out loans and applying for housing throws people into a whole new ballpark, but as the years go on, it can become easier. The websites become more user friendly, the buttons become second nature and muscle memory kicks in yearly.
When that place where everything feels familiar is finally reached, the universe throws a curveball. Now, applying for FAFSA is replaced by applying for jobs, and all of the things learned along the journey fall to the wayside as the college career comes to a screeching halt.
So… what’s next?
For Senior Halley Roche, graduation is something that she is counting down the days to. Why is she so excited? Well, the psychology major is on the path to working her dream job, and she’s getting a glimpse of it now.
PSYCH 484 Mental Health Practice is a class for psychology majors where they have to participate in an internship. While the options for internships vary throughout the industry, Roche knew what she wanted to do from the beginning, and she made her dream a reality.
“I am working as a school psychologist intern at Pocono Mountain West Junior High School. I love it so far. I know this is what I want to do as a career,” Roche said.
She often observes testing on students, runs student observations and writes reports on her findings. She works closely with the school psychologist, but also with speech therapists, school social workers and teachers.
“In addition to the 120 internship hours I am completing, I also plan on attending graduate school next fall. I found a really amazing school just outside of Philadelphia,” Roche said smiling. “Not only will I graduate with a masters degree in school psychology but also a professional counselor license and a behavioral specialist license. It really is the program with the most bang for my buck.”
While an internship is an amazing way to get the ball rolling into professional life, often times it is not enough. Knowing this, Roche has pushed herself both academically and outside of school to become the best version of herself.
“I’ve made the Dean’s List every semester since freshman year, and I recently joined Psy Chi, the psychology honor society. I’ve also added a minor in social work and completed a crisis intervention certificate,” said Roche. “Outside of school, I work as a manager in retail 30 hours a week. It’s hard to balance everything all at once sometimes, but I know that I am setting myself up for success in the future, and I can not wait.”
Roche is set to graduate in May of 2027 with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology.