Class of 2023 graduate Jannah Moussaoui came to Oregon State University and the Honors College set on conducting research, and through her work in three different labs on campus, she has done just that. Jannah, a psychology major who was also recently named a recipient of the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Senior Award, transferred to Oregon State after attending Linn-Benton Community College. While Jannah enjoyed her experience at LBCC, she felt limited by the lack of research and networking opportunities. The unique learning experiences offered by the Honors College, especially the chance to conduct research and write a thesis with a faculty mentor, allowed her to expand her education along just these dimensions.
Jannah’s favorite part of her Honors College experience was the ability to bond with other students during the thesis process. She enjoyed how small class sizes allowed her to befriend so many other HC students, who became a support system through the thesis writing process, a community with whom to share ideas, experiences and check-ins regularly.
Jannah worked in several labs on campus during her time at Oregon State, including the Red Light, Purple Light! lab; the Translational Imagery, Depression and Suicide lab; and the Perception, Cognition and Performance lab. As part of the RLPL lab, Jannah contributed to kindergarten readiness research, studying preschooler self-regulation. In the TIDES lab, she studied risk factors among young adults for suicide, depression and self-harm. Jannah appreciated how working in multiple labs in different departments and schools provided her with numerous opportunities to both engage with the community and better understand mental health and development.
Jannah’s thesis, “Self-Regulation Differences in Preschoolers with Speech/Language Delays Compared to Their Peers,” which she completed under the mentorship of Dr. Megan McClelland, investigated the ability of children with speech and language delays to self-regulate in the classroom and compared their growth in self-regulating experience to their peers without speech and language delays.
After graduation, Jannah will be moving to Philadelphia, where she will be working as a clinical research coordinator at Drexel University. She will be working in a lab examining eating disorders in adolescents, and she hopes to apply to doctoral programs in clinical psychology.
Jannah’s advice for current and future HC students is to make connections with fellow students, graduate students and faculty. She advises students to tell people what you are interested in, as you never know what connections other people have. While it may feel a bit awkward, people can’t help unless they know what you are interested in and are currently doing.
By Kate McHugh, Public Information Representative
CATEGORIES: All Stories Experience Homestories Students