Welcome to Just Like Me! My name is Stephanie Dargoltz and I graduated from the University of Miami with a M.S.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling and a Bilingual/Bicultural Certificate (GO ‘CANES!). Being a former competitive swimmer who loves studying the mind and work of athletes, I hope to get into the emerging field of Sports Psychology/Counseling in the near future. Sounds cliché, but I always wanted to be a part of this field–this world that day by day attempts to decipher the human mind and human behaviors. Since I can remember, I became quickly entertained with learning about the history of psychology, medicine, sociology and everything else incumbent in this area of study. This intrigue led me to work with psychologists from different areas of expertise. Through their impacting research, I was fortunate enough to be able to navigate forensic psychology, social psychology, school psychology, cross-cultural, and clinical psychology all before entering graduate school. Two months after graduating from Syracuse University with a BA in Psychology and Sociology (GO ‘CUSE!), I pursued my Master’s.

My personal goal for Just Like Me is to help other students and professionals understand that just as life is unexpected, so too is this career–this world we have chosen to be a part of. Sometimes plans don’t work out and we must open our eyes to new possibilities, new experiences and redirect our paths without self-contempt or regret. Many times finding work or a niche to advance our careers is way more difficult and frustrating than we had anticipated…but if being a professional in this field is what we aspire to be, we must take the chance, take risks, be patient, and never give up (even if we feel there is no other option). Being that we are young professionals and still learning, we must find mentors to help guide us, new avenues to direct us, and become as educated and prepared as possible. Also, we shouldn’t feel discouraged by the fact that we are young and entering the field in such rough economic times; this shouldn’t deter us from our goals. It should challenge us and bring us confidence.  I hope Just Like Me reminds you of the EDGE we believe you can bring to this field and helps you discover new pieces of yourself…even if in a small way.