Sarah Phan

Sarah’s ultimate goal is a PhD in psychology to become a clinical psychologist. Her motivation for pursuing this career stems from “witnessing the profound effects of mental health challenges within my community and recognizing the need for compassionate and informed care." In the meantime, she has found a number of ways to pursue her interest in human behavior.

While still a community college student she was committed to being a student advisor in the ACEResource Network and took a leadership role in organizing events addressing stress management and student wellbeing. She also served on the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) board where she assisted in creating events to inform the community about adverse childhood experiences. She is currently a research assistant in the OPTI Lab, a facility dedicated to applied cognitive neuroscience.

She grew up in a single-parent household and observed the sacrifices her mother made to facilitate Sarah’s becoming the first in the family to achieve a college degree. Growing up she helped raise her younger sister. She believes that those challenges have helped her develop “resilience, responsibility, and the value of education.”

Currently Sarah holds down two jobs while maintaining a high GPA and finding time to pursue other interests, such as baking, enhancing her communication skills, and learning more about Vietnamese culture. “These interests enrich my perspective and enable me to connect with diverse communities.”

She has earned various academic honors as well as the CRC Patrons Scholarship, awarded based on “goals, financial need, and self-determination” as well as work and activities outside the classroom demonstrating leadership ability. She is enrolled in Roger Revelle College.