1. 1 Undergraduate Studies ePortfolio Jessica Sharma PSY492, 2011

2. Personal Statement My interest in psychology dates back to my senior year in high school where I took my first general psychology class. I loved every aspect about it, and from there I knew what I wanted my major in college to be. I started my college career at a community college, and during one of my psychology classes we had a guest speaker. The topic they were discussing was autism and working with children with this disorder. Everything about the program fascinated me, and I knew from that moment I wanted a career in working with children with autism. Since I was already working on my bachelor’s in psychology I decided to stick with that, and I would then pursue my master’s later in Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA specializes in behavioral problems, with autism being one of them. Since I’m now coming up on my graduation date for my bachelor’s degree, I want to find employment in my field of interest before going on to pursue my master’s. The only concern I have is not having any work experience in this field yet. I also know that I will need to pursue a Behavior Analyst Certificate to be board certified to work with these children. However, I have no problem with doing whatever is necessary to get where I want to be.

3. Personal Statement Con’t… During my undergraduate studies I’ve taken a variety of different courses that have prepared me for the work I want to do. They vary from diversity, ethics in society, managing, cognition and learning, social psychology, children and violence, developmental psychology, interpersonal effectiveness, and general psychology; just to name a few. All of these have helped me to develop many different skills, abilities, and interests. Over the past few years, I’ve acquired great people skills and the ability to be able to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds. I’ve also acquired analytical skills as well as writing skills. Being able to figure out why problems occur and how to minimize or eliminate them is just one of the many things I’ve learned. I’m capable of writing all different types of papers such as persuasive, research, review, and caparison. Another skill I’ve gained during my undergraduate studies is research skills. Having taken many different math classes I’m able to look at and use graphs, tables, and statistics to analyze problems and then communicate my findings. Having gained all these skills has only increased my interests in what I want to do with my career.

4. Personal Statement Con’t… I’m drawn to wanting to help those who are in need, especially when it comes to children. I have the passion to want to teach and change a person’s life. I believe that I can accomplish this in the field of ABA. I also have strong values that will help push me to do more than I believe I’m capable of at times. Perseverance, adaptability, integrity, understanding, patience, commitment, compassion, and just having a drive to succeed all push me in the right direction. I believe with my abilities, skills, and values I will succeed in this field and with helping children who have autism. My personal development and goals throughout my undergraduate studies have both expanded greatly. I’ve developed more skills and knowledge then I ever thought I would, which has also expanded my goals. I now want to pursue my masters and maybe even one day my doctorates degree. I want to help as many people as I can while learning and excelling along the way. As for my professional goals, I want to gain as much experience as I can and maybe one day have a practice of my own. I know I may have to start at the bottom, but I plan to work as hard as I can to get to the top. Overall, I see myself developing and growing constantly. I know I have the skills it takes to work in this field, but now I need the opportunity and experiences to excel. I know finding a job or internship will help me with this development, and give me even more skills to carry throughout my career. I now just have to find the right place to get started, and from there my real journey will begin!

5. Resume Jessica Sharma Newly Graduated Professional Focusing on Psychology and Genetics Counseling Personal Profile Energetic, dedicated BA graduate with strong interpersonal skills. Very diverse background having taken classes in all aspects of the Psychology field of study. Proven ability to work effectively with people of various ages, cultural backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses. Long-time interest in Psychology and Genetics Counseling. Well-developed people, analytical, writing, and research skills. Striving to get into a graduate program for Genetics Counseling or obtain an entry-level position utilizing my education and training in Psychology. Academic Background Argosy University Online, Phoenix, AZB.A., Psychology, 2011GPA 3.8/4.0 Trabuco Hills High School, Mission Viejo, CADiploma, 2005GPA 3.8/4.0

7. Assisted customers with food orders and payments. Became a five star employee for outstanding customer service.

8. Prepped and cooked meals, sliced meats and chesses, made specialty sandwiches, organized, and cleaned

10. Assisted customers with glasses and contact orders, payments, and scheduling appointments.

12. Great at working with others in a diverse workplace.

13. Highly organized able to multi-task and accomplish multiple objectives.

14. Professional demeanor and attentive to detail.

15. Strong communication skills.

16. Efficient computer and writing skills.

18. Dean's List

21. Research Skills

22. Communication Skills: Oral and Written

23. Ethics and Diversity Awareness

24. Foundations of Psychology

25. Applied Psychology

29. AU_PSY482_SharmaJ.ppt

33. AU_PSY405_final_SharmaJ.doc

35. AU_PSY310_SharmaJ.doc

37. I strive to be accepted into the graduate program of Genetics Counseling and learning everything about that field so that I can use it in the real world.

38. I plan to further expand my skills I’ve learned here at Argosy University.