Alumni Profiles
Not all psychology majors are interested in a career in mental health services. In fact, several of our recent graduates have pursued post-graduate study in law school, medical school, or other health-related specialties (e.g. physical therapy, physician assistant programs, or veterinary school). Students following Butler’s pre-health studies curriculum are required to have a major within a department and although many choose Biology or Chemistry as a major, some also choose Psychology as their primary course of study. Psychology majors who wish to apply to medical school complete the psychology curriculum outlined for majors while also completing the sequence of pre-health studies courses recommended by the Post-Graduate Studies office. Students wishing to enter law school complete the psychology curriculum and work closely with Pre-Law Advising in the Student Success Center to prepare for the LSAT exam and for the law school application process.
Meet some of our alumni and see where a psychology degree has taken them.

I am a cognitive psychologist in Nashville, TN researching conversation and memory. I am interested in understanding how we engage in conversation, and how those conversations are remembered. I am a Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University working in the Psychology & Human Development department with Dr. Sarah Brown-Schmidt, and I aim to graduate in 2025. I’m particularly interested in the nature of question asking and how this can apply to forensic settings and legal policy. My research has been an incredible opportunity to interact with researchers from around the world, and I recently traveled to Nagoya, Japan to speak at an international conference about my research on how patients with brain injuries are able to remember stories. I was recently awarded with a Graduate Conference Award that will allow me to take my work on how we remember questions to San Francisco. My goal is to pursue a career which allows me to utilize statistics to understand human behavior.

As an administrator in higher education, I have the opportunity to serve college students through co-curricular programming and engagement. My career has led me to work in Orientation, Civic Engagement, Student Activities & Organizations, Fraternity/Sorority Life, and Housing & Residence Life departments across the nation. Currently, I serve as the Assistant Director for Leadership Engagement in VT Engage: The Center for Leadership & Service Learning at Virginia Tech. I lead university initiatives that foster growth and leadership development in students while they interact with the Blacksburg/New River Valley community. I am the program manager for the National Society for Leadership & Success, Inspiring Women in Lifelong Leadership (IWILL) Institute, and the Hokie Student Leadership Summit. I also serve as the Advisor to The Big Event at Virginia Tech, the 2nd largest student-led Day of Service program in the nation. Additionally, I am an instructor for a ‘Citizen Leadership’ course, which is a part of the Leadership & Social Change residence college on campus.

Shelby Jo graduated from Butler University in May 2019 with a Psychology & Sociology Combined Major. While at Butler, she found her passion for playing an active role in her community, which led her to getting her Master’s degree in Social Work from IUPUI in 2021. Since beginning her career at Butler, Shelby Jo has worked in various mental health environments, including inpatient, outpatient, school-based, community re-entrance, and research. As a licensed social worker, she now works in private practice as a mental health therapist providing therapy for individuals, couples, and families, where she prides herself on being able to create a relaxed, comfortable, and informal environment for her clients. She also serves as a board member for CILYAG, a social & support organization for LGBTQ+ young adults in Indianapolis.

I’m a pediatrician specializing in pediatric emergency medicine and urgent care. I work in the Burnet and Liberty emergency departments and their respective urgent care facilities. I also see patients at other neighboring locations.
I wanted to be a pediatrician from a young age. Children are so resilient and strong, and it is truly an honor to be a part of their healthcare journeys. I think it is so important to focus on children’s whole-body health. Mental health is just as important as physical health. I spend a lot of time during my visits addressing the social determinants of health. Multiple factors, such as race, socioeconomic status, housing, familial mental health and health literacy, affect our health. Healthcare does not exist in an isolated bubble!
Since I like to know my patients personally, I often spend time during a visit asking about favorite colors, favorite foods, pets at home, after-school activities and the like. Most importantly, I love to snuggle babies! If you bring your baby in for an ill visit, expect me to spend most of the visit holding your child, talking to them and loving on them as if they were my own child. It is the best part of my job!
My philanthropic involvement in Tri Delta, my sorority in college, connected me to pediatric cancer research and showed me the importance of pediatrics. I was honored as one of Tri Delta’s “Top 33 Women under 33” and recognized for my contributions to the medical field in 2021.
When I’m not working, I love to spend time with my husband and our two Goldendoodles! Our favorite vacation spot is Hawaii, where we love to hike. I’m an avid coffee drinker and always on the lookout for new cafés around town.

After graduating from Butler University in 2019, Allison attended Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where she received her J.D. in May of 2022. During her time at Maurer, Allison was the Senior Managing Editor of the Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality and a Dean’s Writing Fellow, working as a teaching assistant for Maurer’s first year Legal Research and Writing classes. Allison passed the Indiana bar examination in September of 2022 and works as an Associate Attorney in a mid-sized law firm in Northwest Indiana, practicing general civil litigation and medical malpractice defense.

Originally from Lexington, KY, Emily faced uncertainty around her career after graduating from Butler University with BA’s in Music and Psychology. Her research and tour guiding experience in undergrad inspired her to find a job where she could support others, and after jumping between teaching cello, human resources, and sales, she moved to Colorado to obtain her Master’s in Counseling and Career Development from Colorado State University. Since then, Emily has worked in various higher education settings as a career counselor supporting students of all ages and identities in finding confidence in their career journey. Emily is a Certified Career Counselor (CCC) and Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and is currently pursuing her counseling license.
The Psychology program here at Butler was, for me, a springboard into my future career. With the guidance, teaching, and support from all of the wonderful professors, I was successful in graduating from Butler, as well as entering medical school and obtaining a Medical Degree. By learning the physiologic and psychologic basis for human behavior, my Psychology degree has made me a more effective communicator with my patients, and allowed me insight into their vastly different personalities.