Lauren Quesada’s heart fills with gratitude when she reflects on her four years at St. Joseph’s College.
Lauren Quesada ’20
From her first days on campus as a freshman, the SJC Brooklyn senior fully immersed herself in campus life. She played on the women’s soccer and basketball teams, met her best friend while living in the off-campus residence hall and joined as many clubs as possible. By her junior year, Quesada was president of the campus’ Student Government Association (SGA). She stepped down her senior year, and instead assumed a leadership role as the Senior Class Representative.
“I think taking all of those leadership positions changed who I am as a person and I could not be more grateful for it,” said Quesada, a psychology major. “I always tell people — especially younger people — whether it’s during Accepted Student Day, or when I’m working in admissions as a tour guide, that you are paying for this tuition and you need to get everything out of it you can.
“I feel like I really did,” she continued.
Diving into Academics
Quesada entered St. Joseph’s College knowing right away that she wanted to study psychology. She took her first psychology class as a high school elective at St. Francis Prep in Queens.
The field hooked her immediately and the psychology classes at St. Joseph’s solidified her career choice.
“They’ve been really amazing,” Quesada said. “I’ve learned so, so much — and in different ways too. Each teacher has a different way of teaching, which has definitely benefitted me greatly because I learn in different styles as well.”
Getting involved in clubs, athletics and academics helped Quesada develop the time management skills needed to be successful in her career after college. She plans to earn her masters and doctorate degrees and ultimately become a psychologist in an incarceration facility.
“It was difficult at first, but once I got into a routine it became so much easier,” Quesada said. “It taught me the importance of time management and how to stick to a schedule.
“My life was really planned out from morning to evening every day, but I knew that was the way it had to be in order to accomplish as many things as I needed to do,” she continued. “But as crazy and hectic as it was, it was still the best thing that I could have done.”
