2023 Honors Research

Mary Ocumen

For 2022 CHC Psychology graduate, Mary Ocumen, research began as a top level look at the intersection of Psychology and Asian American Studies but ultimately became something more intrinsically meaningful to Mary and focused on individual stories:

“When I first began this project, I initially planned on exploring the evolution of mental health treatment within the Asian American community. Overtime, my project evolved into something more personal and instead, focused on generational trauma and its impact on the current generation of Asian Americans. Through interviewing other Asian Americans I was able to hear their stories, learn about their mental health experiences, and how they have been influenced by the generations before them. Mental health is important and will always matter, and it is important to understand how those who come before us have shaped us and our experiences today in order to better understand our own lives.”

Mary’s thesis, titled, “Generational Trauma and the Model Minority Myth: An Exploration of the Asian American Experience,” was guided by faculty advisor Professor Isabela Quintana of Asian American Studies.