Student Spotlight: Mariana Mosely

Mariana Mosely is a Psychology major with a Sociology minor at Western Washington University. Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, and a graduate of Silas High School, Mariana was drawn to Western by its welcoming atmosphere, natural surroundings and strong academic offerings. Read on to learn more about her college experience so far.

What is your hometown?

My hometown is Tacoma, Washington, where I attended Silas High School.

How did you choose Western Washington University?

I was sold on Western by the recruiter (Freddy Collins) who came to visit my high school. He was really compelling and made it seem like Western would be a really welcoming place. I appreciated the look of the campus and liked the idea of being in nature, as well as not too close to home but also not too far away from it. I also knew that Western had my major. I didn’t visit until the summer before my freshman year when I had already decided to attend, but it lived up to my expectations.

What is your major (or intended major)?

Psychology major, Sociology minor. I came to Western wanting to major in this, and it has really lined up with my interests.

What is your dream job?

I would like to become a therapist, ideally one who supports children or youth. When I was young there were times when I needed support, and if I could now be there for my younger self, that would’ve been great. I’m also really interested in how the mind works.

Any clubs, activities or interests you are a part of outside of class?

I am a co-leader of the CSF Club at Western. Some events I really enjoy on campus are the Royal Gambit Drag Club performances and comedy and poetry nights at the Underground Coffee House. In my free time, I also like to read and listen to different kinds of music to relax.

What has been the most surprising thing for you so far about college?

The things you think will be hard aren’t as hard as you would think. The things you didn’t even think about are the hardest.

I thought that classes would be the hardest part of college, but it feels easier than high school was at times. I’m only taking three or four classes at a time, and the schedule varies every day, so it feels more spread out without having the same classes, hours and homework every day. I’m able to concentrate on fewer things. Classes also feel more meaningful. For example, I’m taking a Social Movements class right now that is interesting and related to my major, but even if it wasn’t related to my minor, it is also actually meaningful to what’s going on in the world right now.

What is a challenge you have encountered in college, and how did you navigate it? (Or how are you navigating it?)

I have always been quiet. In college, I’ve learned that you have to advocate for yourself. You have to go out of your way to make friends and connections or get help. I struggled at times during the first couple of years, but now I’m getting better about it. I can’t imagine my freshman self being a CSF Club leader and being in front of people. In psychology, we learned about the spotlight effect, that we overestimate how much other people are paying attention to or analyzing what we do. In reality, no one really cares, we all have our own lives we’re living. That’s helped me to put myself out there more.

What student supports / resources have been most helpful to you?

A big support for me has been my CSF coach, Juli Scalf, and being part of the CSF Club. Academic advising was also really important for me in the first year of college. I now have an advisor for my major, but at the beginning I was trying to figure out the ins and outs of registering for classes. I wanted to make sure I was actually taking the right classes to put me on the right track. It put me at ease to know that I wasn’t wasting time or money taking random classes before I got into my major.

What is one piece of advice you’d like to share with fellow students?

There’s always going to be another day. There’s always tomorrow to take what you learned today from and move forward.