From Advocacy to Counseling: Q+A with Hannah Cahill

Image

Hannah Cahill

Class of 2023, 2025

Political Science, BA
Mental Health Counseling, MS

You graduated from Pace with a BA in Political Science and are now pursuing an MS in Mental Health Counseling. How did you become interested in both subjects?

My decision to pursue a BA in Political Science was very much influenced by my high school teacher in American History and Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics, who urged me to get involved in advocacy and activism in my community. It became important to me to explore our political system and the ways in which it impacts the lives of those who live within it, and studying political science was the way I wanted to do that.

I have always had an interest in psychology, and so I decided to pursue a minor in the subject while I was earning my BA in Political Science at Pace. The more I learned, the more I was influenced to pursue a career in the field. I also have a natural inclination towards helping others, and work experience has taught me that I feel the most fulfilled in professional environments that allow me to interact with a diverse and ever-changing group of people. Ultimately, it was the positive experiences my loved ones and I have had with mental health professionals that sold me on applying to graduate programs.

Why did you choose to attend Pace, for both your undergraduate and graduate studies?

I chose to attend Pace for undergrad because of the opportunities available to me through the Honors College, the expertise and support of the faculty, and the convenience of the Pleasantville campus location for me as a commuter student. I decided to return to Pace for my master’s degree not only because I already loved Pace, but also because of positive feedback about the MS in Mental Health Counseling program from trusted people in my life. To this day, I have nothing but rave reviews about the program.

This past summer, you participated in Pace University-Career Services’s Community Impact Funded Internship program, at G.O.O.D. for Girls, a non-profit community-based asset/leadership development and mentoring organization for girls ages 9-18. Please tell us about your role and how this internship was meaningful to you.

I feel so incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to work with G.O.O.D. for Girls, Inc. (GfG) this past summer. My role consisted of wearing many hats and was a challenging mix of marketing, curriculum building, facilitating educational workshops, and lending a hand any way I could. It was empowering to work alongside such accomplished and altruistic women, and the relationships I formed with the girls we served are ones which have left a permanent mark on my heart. In terms of counseling, this internship gave me the opportunity to practice providing psychoeducation and working with adolescents in a quasi-therapeutic setting. Though not a clinical intern at GfG, many of the interactions I had with the girls were focused on conflict resolution and emotional regulation and have certainly helped prepare me for my future work.

What have your experiences been like with the Pleasantville Psychology Department? What faculty have been instrumental in your journey?

The one thing I appreciate most about the Pleasantville Psychology Department has been the passion the faculty have for their profession and for the subjects they teach. To learn from professors like Catherine Morrison, PhD, and Nikita Krishnan, PhD, who are so knowledgeable about their subjects and excited to teach, was such a privilege, especially because they inspired curiosity in me about topics I had not previously been interested in. Professor Jennaleigh Iseman, PhD, was also an invaluable source of support and encouragement in both my exploration of counseling styles and journey toward finding my individual counseling identity.

I decided to return to Pace for my master’s degree not only because I already loved Pace, but also because of positive feedback about the MS in Mental Health Counseling program from trusted people in my life. To this day, I have nothing but rave reviews about the program.

What other activities and organizations have you been involved with as a student?

As an undergrad, I was part of Model UN, the Honors College, and did some volunteer work through the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR). CCAR helped facilitate volunteer work at the JCCA Cottage School in Pleasantville and allowed me to volunteer with the Westchester Council of the Blind, an organization very close to my heart, as the civic engagement component of my Leadership and Advocacy course.

What other internships have you had as a student?

Besides my work at GfG, I have been fortunate to work in two other internships during my time at Pace. The first was a Community Impact Funded Internship at United Way of Westchester and Putnam, where I worked with their director of educational programs to build curriculum and provide STEM education to children in underserved communities in Westchester County. I loved how this role allowed me to dive deep into the realm of social-emotional learning and explore the best ways to teach the subject to children in grades 1-3.

I am also just beginning my second year as a graduate intern for Pace’s Counseling Center on the Pleasantville campus. Although I have not yet reached the fieldwork portion of the MS in Mental Health Counseling program, I was so excited to be awarded an opportunity to work on campus supporting our amazing clinical staff. In my role as a graduate intern, I am primarily responsible for marketing our services and events as well as doing all sorts of outreach on campus, such as Open House and UNV 101 presentations. This year, we are trying to get the word out to the Pace community that counseling services are available to help students face any challenges they encounter during their time at Pace; you don’t need to be in crisis to reach out.

What would you like to do upon graduation/what are your career goals?

Upon graduation, I hope to begin earning my licensure hours by working with children and adolescents. Ultimately, I would love to work in a school setting and have my own private practice. I would also be thrilled if I could publish the picture book I created as part of my senior Honors thesis. Although I majored in political science, I chose to do my thesis as part of my psychology minor and decided to research, write, and (attempt to) illustrate a picture book promoting both early literacy and emotional regulation. Maybe one day you’ll see The Big Feelings Zoo on shelves at a bookstore near you.

What advice would you like to give to our current students?

My advice to current students is to remember that school is not who you are at your core and should not be how you define yourself. Class and homework may take up a lot of your time, but it is important to create a full life for yourself outside of your academic obligations.