On May 13, UW–Madison will celebrate its Spring 2023 Commencement. We reached out to a few of our students who are graduating from programs in the School of Education to learn about their favorite UW–Madison memories and future plans. Following is a Q&A with Zubin DeVitre, who is graduating with a PhD in counseling psychology.
Where are you from, and what brought you to UW–Madison?
I’m from a bit of everywhere — second-generation Parsi-American, born in California, lived in New Mexico (in childhood and adulthood on separate occasions), southern Ohio, the Cleveland area, Wisconsin, and now Michigan. I came here for the PhD program which holds strong values in providing the best possible training for a future counseling psychologist and genuine values in multiculturalism as it pertains to research, education, and practice.
Why did you decide to pursue graduate studies?
To help those who aren’t being helped. South Asian Americans are highly underrepresented within the psychological and educational discourse. As a result, the community itself has decreased capacity to obtain the same access to mental health. As such, pursuing a PhD in psychology is the first step towards my journey to becoming a faculty member who can help produce research, teach, and develop subject areas as it relates to South Asian American mental health.
Tell us about your research or research interests.
My primary research focus is on South Asian American university students. Recognizing that South Asian Americans hold a high university presence, yet are often disregarded within the university discourse, I use my research as a way to provide visibility and understanding to both the individual and systemic structures that impact South Asian American student well-being.
What was your most meaningful experience at UW–Madison?
The people in the Department of Counseling Psychology (staff, faculty, and students alike). It’s a rare thing to be surrounded by people from extremely different backgrounds, yet who all share common goals and values. Having the ability to be challenged, supported, and to grow with and for each other is an experience that I am forever grateful for.
"It’s a rare thing to be surrounded by people from extremely different backgrounds, yet who all share common goals and values. Having the ability to be challenged, supported, and to grow with and for each other is an experience that I am forever grateful for."
What class or professor had the greatest impact on you, and why?
Dr. Alberta M. Gloria, my faculty advisor. Dr. Gloria is the IDEAL faculty member. She helped me to develop my professional skills as they related to research, teaching, practice, and navigating our field while simultaneously ensuring that all my work felt salient and grounded in what I needed in the moment, and in the future.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your graduate studies?
The more you know, the less you know! And remember to reflect on a time when all you wanted is to be where you’re at right now.
What’s next for you? What are your plans for the future?
Ideally, working as a faculty member at a university that enables me to conduct my research in bringing visibility to forgotten groups within the field of psychology, while also providing space for meaningful and intentional student-focused education.
How will you use what you have learned at UW–Madison to influence other people’s lives or positively impact our world?
Taking what I’ve learned from my formal education, my advisors, and my peers/colleagues, I intend to use my newfound knowledge to bolster accessibility, engagement, and empowerment as it pertains to students’ ability to find and partake in meaningful and culturally salient work.
You’re a UW–Madison expert now. What UW tradition is your favorite, and why?
Sitting on the Terrace during the summer months. The memories/tradition of having a “slower paced” semester and enjoying time with your friends/loved ones, all while overlooking the lake at sunset. A perfect reminder that your work can be hard, and also a place of peace.