Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Sam Goodrich hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in counseling psychology after graduating this spring. (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

By LiAnna Davis

When Sam Goodrich took Dr. Sandra Calvert’s Childhood and Adolescence class during her sophomore year, the Rockville Centre, New York, native knew that she wanted to work with Dr. Calvert for the remainder of her time at Georgetown.

“She was my favorite psychology teacher, and I could tell she was full of knowledge about the field,” says Goodrich. “I thought she would make a great advisor who could guide me through my next two years. When she said she had an opening in her lab, I thought it would be perfect, because ultimately I want to be a child counselor and the amount of digital media out for children now is astounding.”

Goodrich’s main project was working with Dr. Calvert on the Blackwell Handbook of Children, Media, and Development, to be published by Wiley-Blackwell in the spring of 2008. Goodrich assisted Dr. Calvert in getting this volume ready to send to the publisher. This year, she is working on her senior honors thesis project, coding media designed for babies to see what techniques and content they use. Her thesis work will allow other psychologists to test how much children pay attention to these factors to determine what works best. Goodrich’s successful work in the Children’s Digital Media Center is a testimony to Dr. Calvert’s skill as a mentor.

“I think the characteristic that stands out most to me about Dr. Calvert is her unending drive to strive for the best,” Goodrich says. “She always has new projects starting up, ways to make things better, or some information that she wants to find out. She keeps you on your toes and always aims for perfection. She has a great work ethic that I admire and hope to emulate as I continue in my career.”

After she graduates from Georgetown in May, Goodrich hopes to go straight into a Ph.D. program in New York for counseling psychology. While she originally joined Dr. Calvert’s lab to gain experience to help prepare her for graduate school, Goodrich has been surprised at how enjoyable working in the lab has been.

“I like that we are dealing with things that are currently present in children’s worlds, so that all of our research really does matter,” says Goodrich. “I know working with Dr. Calvert and the entire team will not only give me priceless experience, but will also help with my career in the future. They are all amazing people who are truly making a difference in the field!”

Goodrich, who fell in love with Georgetown when she first set foot on campus during a high school visit, maintains a high GPA and participates in extracurricular activities. She is the treasurer for a group that tutors children who live in a housing cooperative in D.C. She enjoys dancing, and looks forward to having a family of her own some day, where her knowledge gained from working in Dr. Calvert’s lab will be directly applicable.

“Overall all of my memories and experiences at Georgetown have been amazing and I do not think I could be happier anywhere else for college,” Goodrich says. “Dr. Calvert and everyone in her lab have been so welcoming and are all extremely hard workers. I love being a part of their team and appreciate all they have done for me!”

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