ISPP Current Student Spotlight: Claudia Milano VOL. 15
If you'd like to share, please tell us about any work you do in the areas of advocacy, social justice, or working with underserved populations. I strive to advocate for underserved populations and challenge social injustices through my everyday choices - whether that means being intentional about where I spend my money, how I vote, or when I raise my voice in protest. Yet, I believe the most powerful and difficult form of advocacy begins in our personal lives. It requires us to critically examine our relationships and the people we choose to surround ourselves with. Our time and energy are precious, and advocacy extends beyond public action, it also exists in how we love. We can “vote with love” by engaging in emotionally regulated conversations with those who see the world differently, fostering understanding rather than division. At the same time, we can also vote with love by setting boundaries or walking away from relationships with those who disregard equality or fail to recognize the depth of injustice that others experience. Now more than ever, those who are empowered with both empathy and privilege must stand up against hate, resist tyranny, and choose love.
How did you get interested in psychology?
I became interested in psychology at a very young age. I was, and still am, fascinated by individual differences, particularly the depth and range of emotions that people experience and the unique ways they express them. I realized I wanted to study not only clinical mental health but the broader psychology of people, especially after recognizing how profoundly culture and religion shape one’s experiences. More recently, I have become deeply interested in human connection, love, and spirituality, and I hope to integrate these passions by one day becoming a couples therapist. Ultimately, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawn to understanding the human mind and experience. Being alive can be tragically painful, but it is also incredibly beautiful and poetic.
Claudia is currently an advanced doctoral extern at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Behavioral Health Services. She has been involved at ISPP through her various teaching assistant positions, and was a research assistant for Dr. Warner’s “The Luke Project.”
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