Choosing just a handful of photos that capture my time here in Oxford was quite the challenge. This magical place is rooted in opportunities to explore, create, learn, and grow as a student, friend, and person. I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Carmen Pinon, an expert neuroscientist and lecturer, for my primary tutorial that delves into the pathology of psychological disorders. This term, we built on topics that provided the foundation for my final project, consisting of a presentation and paper titled: “A Search for the Sacred: Investigating How Spirituality, Mindset, and Religious Coping Mechanisms Influence the Path to Post-Traumatic Growth.” Dr. Pinon has significantly stretched my thinking of abnormal psychology and the relationship between spirituality, religion, and positive mental health outcomes. In addition to her tutorials, Dr. Pinon is a Senior Lecturer at the Medical School of the University of Buckingham. Her invaluable insight into the biopsychosocial approach to mental illness created a comprehensive learning environment grounded in the diathesis-stress model. I am honored to be one of the many students she chose to collaborate with, and I look forward to staying connected with her after I return to Tampa!
My secondary tutorial is a multidisciplinary focus on music psychology, encompassing topics such as the composer’s intentions, music performance and spirituality, music-evoked emotions, sociocultural functions of music listening, and implications of music for human flourishing. Peter Varga, a DPhil candidate student at Christ Church College and member of the Emotion and Social Relations research group led by Dr. Brian Parkinson, has truly inspired my love for learning about the beautiful role music plays in our everyday lives. My goal was to understand the connections between music, emotions, and spirituality, yet I have learned far more than just this. Reading several journal articles and books from evolutionary, biology, ethnomusicology, sociology, philosophy, and psychology perspectives, I have learned the power of music can bend time, facilitate communication, promote social bonding, foster a search for meaning, and catalyze human flourishing. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Mr. Varga as he provides excellent knowledge with his psychology, philosophy, and theology background. I am very grateful for this experience of combining our overlapping interests in the arts and sciences, which can positively impact the future of psychological research and therapeutic interventions.
Apart from my (many) hours studying in the library, I have enjoyed exploring the different colleges, traveling to Notting Hill in London, attending formal dinners, petting horses in Port Meadow, listening to the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra (on Halloween!), running for the Oxford University Cross Country Club, and visiting new countries, including Malta and Denmark. It is truly a blessing to see these corners of the world and hear the stories of people who live there. After my eight-hour flight, sitting at London Heathrow Airport, a woman quoted to me, “The best education is travel,” and now I understand why. Meeting fellow students in OSAP, Oxford University scholars, mentors, professors, random folks in coffee shops, or old couples on plane rides has opened my eyes to the power of conversation, connection, and cultural understanding. I will cherish this opportunity for a lifetime.
Finally, a special thank you to the Honors Program at UT for making this dream come true. If it were not for their support and belief in us students to pursue our passions in research, none of this could have been possible. I hope UT students can read a glimpse of our Oxford stories and feel that same sense of inspiration we all once had when applying to this program. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Honors faculty members, professors, mentors, friends, and family for encouraging me (and my fellow UT students, Alice and Robert) on our study abroad journeys. Here’s to three more weeks of many more memories to come!
With gratitude,
Hannah