When Pooja Das arrived in the United States from India with her husband in 2021, she had already completed degrees in education and psychology, and she was looking for opportunities to expand her knowledge. Das was intrigued by The Chicago School’s master’s program in industrial and organizational psychology, enough so that she enrolled in the fall of 2022.
Das has enjoyed the challenge of learning about the field and improving her communication skills, including explaining what Industrial and Organizational (I/O) psychology is to those who ask.
“People have this notion that it is counseling or related to psychiatric practice,” she says, “but I explain that we engage in work that is beneficial to an organization or the industry in which we are working.” A lot of the work involves administering performance appraisals, assessments, and surveys. Based upon the results of those diagnostic tools, I/O professionals provide recommendations to their clients for improving operations.
Given her visa status as an H-4 dependent, Das is currently unable to work in the United States. Instead, she has thrown herself into volunteering, including tutoring Chicago Public Schools students. Additionally, The Chicago School’s career fair introduced Das to a wide range of volunteer opportunities, and she began volunteering with Gilda’s Club Chicago, a support organization for people with cancer that was created by Second City and “Saturday Night Live” alum Gilda Radner.
Attracting students with the kind of skills and determination Das exhibits benefits The Chicago School as well. “International students bring valuable diversity of cultural perspectives and experiences to academic environments, enriching the learning and research experiences for both their peers and the institution as a whole,” says Lynessa Rico, Ph.D., one of Das’s professors and Division Chair of the Business Psychology department. “Pooja consistently shows a strong dedication to volunteering and giving back to her community. In addition to her humanitarian efforts, she also actively brings forth valuable insights and perspectives in the classroom.”
On top of her schoolwork and volunteering, Das has also been named one of 23 student ambassadors to World Business Chicago. These representatives from colleges and universities around the city collaborate on projects in the community at large, including the ThinkChicago IMPACT initiative. In this program, Das and the other ambassadors join with students from the area to innovative ideas for change in technology, sustainability, and the environment.
Das has found that her previous studies in psychology have dovetailed well with her new concentration in I/O, which she says is more focused on practice than on theory. In her consulting course, for example, role-playing sessions have students assume the roles of consultants and clients. In terms of a career after graduation, Das says, “As of now, I’m thinking of an HR role, particularly leadership training, in marketing or communications.”
While coming to United States for the first time has been an eye-opening experience, Das committed from the beginning to arrive without any presumptions. “I’m open to learning every day, because I knew very little about the place, the people here,” she explains, “but I am always open to learn more.” In return, she says, “The U.S. is treating me well–except the Chicago cold.”