UNH Today

When you ask psychology graduate Audrey Beaudoin ’18 about her experience at UNH Manchester, she’s quick to describe her time here as “transformational.” 

“One of the things I loved most about UNH Manchester is the sense of community and family I felt there,” she says. “I made friendships with some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, and because of the small class sizes, I ended up having the same peers in a number of my psychology classes and we all grew incredibly close.”

During her time at UNH Manchester, Beaudoin not only gained lifelong friends, but also “a deeper understanding of the world we live in,” which she says has benefitted her academically and prepared her for her current position as a registered behavior technician for Easterseals in their Autism Services program.

Beaudoin says a range of courses helped give her a holistic perspective of humanity. She credits Dr. Carol Gay's relational violence course for its raw, thought-provoking conversations about difficult topics as well as Dr. Nick Mian's abnormal psychology course in which she learned about a wide variety of mental illnesses and had the opportunity to sit in on clinical rounds in the psychiatric unit at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. 

"In my narrative class with Dr. Barbara Jago, we had the opportunity to write auto-ethnographies about turning points in each of our lives, allowing us to not only gain new understandings of not only each other, but of others with similar stories,” Beaudoin says. “These opportunities to have insightful discussions about very real topics affecting today’s world was by far one of the most meaningful parts of my experience at UNH Manchester.”

Outside of the classroom, Beaudoin completed an internship at the Manchester-based C.R.E.A.T.E!, the Center for Expressive Arts Therapy and Education, where she had the opportunity to help with a weekly women’s psychodrama trauma group that utilizes art therapy to process their past and present experiences. She also volunteered in the YMCA’s child development center as part of an early childhood education class, allowing her to witness firsthand the growth and development children go through.

“Because of my time at UNH Manchester, I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the complexity of the human mind and a new understanding of mental illness,” Beaudoin said. “I learned to have confidence in myself and felt well-prepared to go into the workplace and have the peace of mind in knowing that if I ever need future career advice or counseling, I am welcome at any time to reach out to my former professors I cultivated strong relationships with for guidance.”

It’s those relationships with professors Beaudoin encourages all incoming UNH Manchester students to develop.

“All of the professors at UNH Manchester are so experienced in their respective fields and can give you firsthand accounts of what it’s like to work in their fields," she says. "The better they get to know you—what your interests are, your personality—the easier it is for them to help guide you in discovering a career path that best suits you."