Before she left for college, Mary Rodriguez's father gave her one piece of advice. It took four years and two remarkable mentors to understand what he meant.
Before I left for college, my dad told me, "Get to know your professors, because they will become your strongest mentors." At 18 years old, I couldn’t fully understand what he meant. I was focused on starting college, making new friends, and experiencing life away from home. When I started at BYU, psychology appealed to me because of how many directions I could go, including counseling, clinical work, research, neuroscience, and academia. At the same time, so many options left me feeling uncertain. While I knew where I wanted to start, I had no clear picture of where I wanted to end up. What I needed was mentors who could help me understand what opportunities existed and how to build toward them.
The first person to help me see those possibilities was Professor Derin Cobia. The way he connected psychology's history to current research questions and emerging discoveries introduced me to an area of psychology I hadn’t seriously considered. His enthusiasm for cognitive neuroscience made me curious about research and the scientific process behind understanding the brain. As a freshman, I was surprised when Cobia suggested I take his graduate school preparation course. Until that point, graduate school had felt years out of reach. That brief conversation shifted the trajectory of my undergraduate career. Before taking the course, graduate school seemed overwhelming. I didn’t know what distinguished a master's program from a PsyD or a PhD, or what made an applicant competitive. The course gave me a practical roadmap to develop a curriculum vitae, gain meaningful research experience, prepare strong applications, and build professional relationships with faculty. For the first time, graduate school felt like an achievable goal.
The more I learned, the more my interests evolved from applying existing knowledge to helping create new knowledge through research. I found that I enjoyed asking questions about how the brain works, how memory changes over time, and how research can improve our understanding of neurological disorders. As my interests shifted, a writing class from Professor Dawn-Marie Wood played a key role in my journey. She challenged our class to become stronger writers while treating us like developing professionals rather than students completing assignments. That combination of encouragement and accountability motivated me to research a challenging topic: the role parents play in providing sex education to their children. It was a topic I found both fascinating and important because of the lasting influence those conversations can have on development, relationships, and overall well-being. When I expressed interest in sharing the paper beyond the classroom, Professor Wood didn’t hesitate. She helped me refine my presentation, strengthened my confidence, and prepared me for my first statewide conference where I delivered a 20-minute oral presentation. Afterward, she encouraged me to submit the paper for publication. Her confidence in my abilities changed the way I viewed myself. Instead of seeing myself as a student completing assignments, I began to see myself as someone capable of contributing meaningful ideas to the field of psychology.
While Professor Wood helped me develop confidence as a writer and presenter, I still needed research opportunities in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. I reached out to Professor Cobia, who helped me acquire a research assistant role in the Behavior and Brain Imaging Lab. Cobia’s trust in me reinforced the lesson that meaningful mentorship is built through relationships, consistency, and initiative. Joining the Behavior and Brain Imaging Lab became one of the defining experiences of my undergraduate education. I gained hands-on experience with research methodology, data analysis, and scientific collaboration, and over time, I was trusted to help lead an Alzheimer's research project. I learned how researchers approach complex questions, how individual tasks contribute to larger discoveries, and how persistence, curiosity, and collaboration drive meaningful research. Those experiences solidified my desire to contribute to scientific knowledge rather than simply learn about it.
My relationship with Professor Wood led to the opportunity to become one of her teaching assistants. Teaching allowed me to develop a different set of skills than research alone could provide. I learned how to communicate complex concepts clearly, answer challenging questions, and support students as they developed confidence in their own abilities. Watching students make connections and grow throughout the semester reminded me of the encouragement my own professors had given me. It also helped me recognize that mentorship is not limited to faculty — it is something we can begin offering to others while we’re still learning ourselves.
Mentorship from Professors Cobia and Wood helped me develop a passion for cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. The uncertainty I had felt as an incoming freshman had been replaced with confidence. When graduate school application season arrived, both Professors Wood and Cobia reviewed my curriculum vitae, offered thoughtful feedback on my application materials, wrote letters of recommendation, and helped me prepare for interviews. They encouraged me when the process felt uncertain and reminded me that growth comes from pursuing opportunities before feeling completely ready. Their mentorship extended beyond academics. They helped me develop the confidence to see myself as someone capable of succeeding in graduate school and contributing to the field of psychology.
This fall, I will begin a PhD in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth Houston. Looking back, I can see that my undergraduate experience was shaped by professors who took the time to invest in me, challenge me, and encourage me to pursue opportunities I never would have considered on my own. When my dad encouraged me to get to know my professors, I thought he was simply offering advice about being a successful student. Now I understand that he was giving me advice that would shape the course of my future. Every major milestone in my journey, from preparing for graduate school as a sophomore to presenting at my first conference, joining a research lab, becoming a teaching assistant, and ultimately pursuing doctoral training, can be traced back to the mentorship I found at BYU. I hope students beginning their own journey will take my dad’s advice to heart. Introduce yourself to your professors, ask questions, seek opportunities, and build meaningful relationships. You never know how one conversation might change the direction of your life.
