Psychology Transfer Student Gains Various Data, Contracts Experience Interning for GNC Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Meet Brian Smith
Internship: Rent/Administration Intern for GNC
Major: Psychology
Expected graduation: May 2016
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
High school: Pittsburgh Taylor Allderdice High School
College activities: Student liaison for the Career Development Center, summer office assistant and tour guide for the Office of Graduate and Online Admissions and Alpha Chi National Honors Society inductee
Scholarships: Transfer Trustee and Phi Theta Kappa scholarships
Hobbies/Interests: Watching sports, exercising, reading and collecting classic hip-hop albums
LinkedIn: Brian Smith
Why did you decide to transfer to Point Park?
I decided to transfer to Point Park for two reasons. First, the campus location was very convenient for me. I like that Point Park is in a location that I know extremely well and is not hard to get to from where I live. Also, being in Downtown Pittsburgh allows me to keep in close contact with potential employers. Second, as a transfer student, Point Park accepted a lot of the credits I earned from my community college. That was a huge factor in my decision to attend Point Park.
What do you see as your career path?
At the moment, I am not completely sure what I want to do as a career. I have explored multiple options including careers in psychology, business and even law. However, I do know that I want to go to graduate school and study one of the fields mentioned above.
Tell us about the work you do as an intern for GNC.
As an intern at GNC, I have the opportunity to apply myself in many different ways. I work in the rent and lease department so I get to work with the lease administrators who analyze the leases of all the GNC stores and communicate with the landlords regarding the terms of the leases. I have been working on a project that requires me to input data that has already been abstracted by the lease administrators into a software system. In addition, I have been learning how to abstract information from leases just like the administrators. I have also been able to attend team meetings where I get to learn more about what goes on in the department.
What has been your favorite Point Park experience so far?
It is difficult to say because I have had many great experiences so far. I would have to say that my favorite Point Park experience so far would be a three-way tie between sitting in on a dance class for my Art Appreciation class, working at my first career fair on campus and being inducted into Alpha Chi's National Honor Society.
The dance class was great because I learned by experiencing what the dancers were experiencing. I was moving around, stretching and sweating just like they were. I thought my professor, Sharon Brady, was out of her mind when she made us do the stretches they were doing, but it was pretty cool. I also liked working at my first career fair with my fellow colleagues because we were able to have fun while doing it. It didn't feel like work. Lastly, my family got to see me get inducted into Alpha Chi's National Honor Society at the Fairmont Hotel. Seeing the smiles on their faces as I received my medallion ensured me that I have been performing well at Point Park and motivated me to keep the ball rolling.
Describe the teaching styles of Point Park's psychology faculty.
Point Park's psychology program faculty do a great job of teaching class in a variety of ways. Just about all of my professors lecture, but they have also illustrated ideas through the use of film, literature and music. In my social psychology class with my advisor, Dr. Robert McInerney, we applied psychological ideas to the character "Pink" from the music album "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. It was very unique and intellectually stimulating.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I would just like to say that Point Park is a great university to attend, especially if you like being in the middle of the action. The faculty members here do a great job of guiding the students in the direction they want to go. I would also like to say thank you to the faculty who have helped me get to where I am at today. I could not have done it without all of you.
Photo by Victoria A. Mikula, junior mass communication major