Alumni Spotlight: 6 Questions with Luisa Beirl

What uni did you attend for your undergrad?  What was your undergraduate major/minor?  

I attended University of Southampton and I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

What was the most challenging/rewarding part of your university undergraduate experience?  Any course highlights?

The most rewarding part of studying psychology was being able to link it to everyday life.  My favourite module was Intergroup and interpersonal influence.  This module was one of the main reasons I decided to go into social psychology.  I learned a lot about how groups shape individuals (e.g. social facilitation effect) We also spent some time on learning about the psychology behind extremism and the incremental steps that it takes to get there (e.g. studying the Jonestown massacre). We learned the psychology behind tribalism and the power of groups.I was able to apply so much of this knowledge in understanding the current events happening in the world.

What uni are you currently attending for your master’s degree? What master’s program are you currently enrolled in?

I will be attending University of Edinburgh and pursuing a Master of Science in Social Psychology degree.

Any current project/activity/travel/accomplishment in particular you would like us to showcase?  Please name specific examples and their significance in your life.  Feel free to include photos, etc.

During my second year of university, I worked as a research assistant for the Romanian adoptee project which is a project that investigates the effects of early deprivation in Romanian adopted children on different aspects of their future such as mental health or social integration. After working on this project, I worked at a home for at-risk children in Portugal and witnessed first hand the effects that growing up without parents can have.  A lot of the higher risks for families in these institutions involved social issues, such as socioeconomic status.  

What does the future look like for you?

This year I’m going to the University of Edinburgh to do a master of science in social psychology. In the future I’d love to be able to work with a company that works on developing strategies to help social or environmental issues.

Want to share a message with the TGS student body, staff, or your current alumni?

The best thing about TGS is truly the people. You’re surrounded by such a diverse and open group of people, and the conversations and discussions at TGS were some of the best I ever had — from politics to discussions about the meaning of life. Some people were passionate about environmental and sustainability issues, some people were more interested in social issues, others politics. I learned so many new and different perspectives while at TGS which really shaped how I process and critique information and what I value to this day. At TGS you learn so much about the world and different cultures, but you realize how small you really are and that there’s so much of the world that we just don’t understand.  It never failed to amaze me how students at TGS were always willing to delve deeper into topics and question the system. If I could give a message to current students, it would be to keep listening but never stop questioning.

I’m so proud to be a TGS-er, seeing alumni do amazing internships at Facebook or Google, or speaking at conferences or writing articles and blogposts scrutinizing different aspects of politics or society, it reminds me that the drive to change the world that develops while at TGS still exists even long after graduating.