Claire Harty, school psychology specialist certificate alumni ‘17, is currently a school psychologist in a small school district in the Bay Area. She works with a diverse group of students in grades K-8 and her role includes assessment for special education eligibility, behavior intervention, and consultation with teachers and families. “I love my job!” Harty says.

We asked her some questions about her experience in the school psychology program, here are her answers:

Q: How do you apply what you learned/your degree?

“My degree prepared me to solve problems using data! After finishing my degree, I can: Figure out what type of data I need to answer a question; collect it; interpret it; and share the results in a way that is meaningful for different audiences (parents, teachers, administrators, kids, etc.).”

Q: What did you enjoy most about your experience in your program?

“I enjoyed the people! The students and faculty (shout out to my advisor, Annie Hansen-Burke) are a wonderful support system, and we learned a lot from each other.”

Q: What would you like prospective students to know about your program?

“You won’t learn EVERYTHING (that’s impossible), but you will leave feeling prepared to problem solve. When asked a question I don’t know the answer to, I feel comfortable saying, ‘I don’t know, but let me find out!’”

Q: Do you have a productivity secret that helped you get through school?

“Use a timer! Determine how much time you want to spend on something or how long a task should realistically take. When the timer goes off, evaluate where you’re at and keep going… or just be done! This tip helped me maximize my time and set boundaries.”