Anna Mazur ’25 came to Clark thinking she would pursue a career in chemistry, but an introductory psychology class in her first semester changed her mind.
“I had an amazing chemistry teacher in high school and wanted to stick with it in college,” she says. “I swapped things around after taking psych in my first semester, but I still wanted to keep the science understanding and background.” She ultimately majored in psychology with a minor in chemistry.
As a sophomore, while browsing Clark’s job and internship portal, Handshake, she spotted an internship opportunity at UMass Chan Medical School. That spring, she began a clinical and research internship at UMass Mind, a program of the medical school and UMass Memorial Health. The internship, which lasted throughout her senior year, included researching and developing healthy living interventions, including nutrition, for people with severe mental health challenges.
“I enjoyed the combination of psychology, social- and person-oriented work, and science behind psychiatry and the brain,” Mazur says of the internship.
At the same time, on campus, Mazur became a Wellness Ambassador, focusing on the multifaceted aspects of well-being and health. The two roles, while different, meshed together nicely for Mazur and helped her develop a greater understanding of her own life and overall happiness.
“The philosophy of how all these different parts of your life contribute to who you are and how well you’re doing was extremely helpful for me in transitioning to college,” Mazur says. “Being a Wellness Ambassador was a valuable opportunity for me to give back to the Clark community. Leah Hall [director of wellness education at Clark] is an amazing role model and taught me a lot about leadership.”
After Commencement, Mazur will move on to the Post-Baccalaureate Clinical Fellowship Program offered by Mass General Brigham and McLean Hospital. During the two-year program, she will work at one of McLean’s residential treatment centers for teens. Mazur says the fellowship will be a great opportunity to explore the mental health care field and narrow her career options.
“Some people know from a young age what their career will be — and it’s OK not to be that way,” Mazur says. “But it’s also OK to graduate and still not be 100% sure of the direction you’re going to go. What’s important is how you learn from that and how it informs who you become.”
