Patricia Jane ("PJ") Parker (BS, '02)

PJ Parker is passionate about psychology. So passionate, in fact, that for two years she drove an hour-and-a-half each way to Bastyr to study psychology with a health concentration.

"Originally, I was on a course to becoming a nurse," says the June 2002 bachelor of science graduate, "so I was taking all these science courses, but they just didn't excite me the way psychology did. So I thought, Why not pursue something I have more passion for?"

PJ had already been accepted into another bachelor's completion program at another school when she came across Bastyr University on the Internet. "I'd never even heard of Bastyr," she says, "but when I read about its bachelor's program in psychology, I knew this was what I'd been looking for." One month later she was enrolled at Bastyr.

"The program was very rewarding," she says, "and it went into all those things that fascinate me, like creating wellness and the holistic approach to psychology. It was unconventional, and I loved it."

PJ's dedication to her studies carried over into her long commute from her home in Buckley, WA, fifty miles south of campus. "I would use that time to study for tests by listening to tapes I'd made of class notes," she says.

PJ found the program challenging academically and personally, "but in a good way," she says. "There were only nine of us in our class, so we were able to do some very deep work with each other. This was really experiential learning, and we could only do it because we felt safe."

PJ says her learning was enhanced by the caring attitude of her instructors. "We were never treated as just numbers sitting in a classroom. The faculty were personable and supportive, and they were definitely available."

According to PJ this safe and supportive environment was the catalyst for a good deal of personal growth. "We all became very close with each other and with the faculty. We grew together," she says. "I think that's what I liked best about the program." In fact, that's a big part of the advice she would offer to incoming students: "They should know that whatever they put into it is what they'll get out of it, and they shouldn't be surprised at the depth of their personal growth if they allow it to happen."

This past June, PJ became the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. "Now that my schooling is behind me, I'm looking for a job," she says. She would like to get into case managing or advising, possibly in a hospital or school setting. "I want to help people understand what it is they actually need, help them get the right information, especially on wellness and prevention," she says. "I could see myself in career counseling, particularly to people who are reentering the workforce, who need to get back on track."

Although for two years the long commute and hours on campus took the 38-year-old away from her husband and teen-age daughter, they supported her through it all. "They were happy for me, and the faculty were very receptive to those times when I needed to be with my family and not in class. After all," she says, "Bastyr is all about health and families."

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