A first-year University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student hopes to one day solve the mysteries of afflictions such as anxiety and depression.

 

Psychology major Jessica Richards, of Weston, Wis., considered schools such as UW-Madison, UW-Eau Claire and the University of Minnesota for her undergraduate education, but chose UW-Stevens Point for its affordability.

 

UW-Stevens Point “is underestimated,” said Richards, a first-generation college student, who also is considering minors in biology and chemistry. “… Though they are well known for natural resources and education, it's a good school for any major, especially if you have bigger plans for graduate school because it's affordable."

 

Yet it’s more than affordability that keeps her at UW-Stevens Point. A Pointer’s campus life, for example, is never dull. "You can't be bored,” she said. “You can always go to something."

 

And the university’s faculty, especially psychology professor Rhea Owens, inspire Richards to strive for greater achievements.

 

“My teachers have been easy to approach,” Richards said. “There has yet to be a class I haven’t liked.”

 

She added Owens is always excited to be in class and is always engaging.

 

Owens "makes you feel like whatever you are saying is the most important thing at that moment," Richards said.

 

Richards says she hopes her UW-Stevens Point education will be a springboard for graduate and doctoral studies leading toward a career as a research neuro psychologist, possibly at a university’s laboratory. However, her work as a counselor at Crystal Lake Scout Reservation, a Boy Scout and Cub Scout camp in Rhinelander, Wis., could push her toward working with children.

 

"I love the biological part of psychology … why people do what they do," Richards said. "I want to learn everything I possibly can. I find the brain to be a very interesting thing."

 

Learn more about the UW-Stevens Point Department of Psychology at www.uwsp.edu/psych.