Alumni Spotlight #10: Michelle Jio, '09

In honor of Valentine’s Day, today’s Alumni Spotlight shines onto 2009 Communication Studies graduate Michelle Jio.  Since graduation, Michelle has stayed around USF.  Sounds strange, but it’s not… she is a graduate student here!  And I’m profiling her on Valentine’s Day because she is in the Marriage and Family Therapy program (see the link?)!  Let’s catch up with Michelle!

Michelle is currently in her final year of the Master’s in Counseling Psychology program with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy here at USF’s School of Education.  Michelle will be graduating this upcoming May.  She is currently doing practicum hours at the Community Youth Center (CYC) here in San Francisco.  CYC is part of the Department of Public Health and offers a variety of programs for youth, in particular low-income or high-risk individuals and their families, and they specialize in serving the city’s Asian population.  Michelle interns at the Behavioral Health Department which offers therapy and case management to Medi-Cal students in San Francisco public schools, as well as youth recently processed through the juvenile justice system.  Michelle counsels students at Rooftop Middle School and is also currently leading a support group for children with social anxiety. 

I asked Michelle how she became interested in this area.  “I was interested in obtaining a Marriage and Family Therapy License because I am extremely interested in how people relationally engage with each other and how their experiences, beliefs, and identity affect relational behavior.  I am most interested in working with couples and families because of the complexity and remarkable value of the relationships we have with others.  The things I learned as a Communication Studies major are extremely important and helpful to me as I complete my Master’s program.  The Communication Studies classes I took focused on how we relate to others through various forms of communication and this has given me awareness and sensitivity to the ways in which people communicate information to me during sessions and how they interact with their family and peers.  Also the Family Communication course was extremely helpful and applicable to understanding psychology from a family systems perspective, specifically how every family member’s behavior serves a purpose in the family system and their role is interconnected and mutually affected by their family members’ roles.  My education at USF as an undergrad has also given me an awareness of systemic social justice issues that affect an individual’s psychology on multiple levels.”

2009 Communication Studies graduate Michelle Jio

I also asked Michelle to share with us any advice she has for students interested in graduate school.  “My advice to students interested in attending graduate school would be to thoroughly investigate and explore their options and the potential career that they are interested in.  I think you could never learn too much information or ask too many questions because there are so many things you find out as you go during your Master’s program that might be more helpful to know when you start your journey.  Attend information meetings and contact the admissions department of the schools you are interested in.  Get as much information as you can; this will not only help you put in a more competitive application but it will also help you make a more informed decision of what program is really right for you and you will have a better idea of what to expect.  Also, a graduate program can get very intense and stressful so it is so helpful to connect with your cohort and find support in your peers.  The relationships I developed with the peers in my cohort made my experience in grad school extremely valuable and amazing.”

Congratulations to Michelle on her upcoming graduation and best wishes in her future career as a therapist!  Are you an alum up to something interesting?  Contact me at edoohan@usfca.edu to be profiled in an upcoming Alumni Spotlight.