An Educational Journey

By: Azizull Dhadwal

My summer ’16 was characterized by the sweet blissful fun of a hot season mixed with intense tones of uneasy confusion about the turn my life could take in September. Anyone who says that they enjoy the process of applying to a university either has a lot of help in the process or is lying. After many hours of staring at my personal statement, and with the support of ABI and my undergraduate professors, my application to Pepperdine University’s Master’s of Science in Behavioral Psychology (try saying that five times fast) was completely submitted. Then came the wait. This was by far the most tortuous six-week period of that summer. The restlessness of this waiting period was different from that brought on from applying to undergraduate programs. However, it was not long-lasting as after that time came a letter; a letter that contained truly the most exciting news I had received in that summer. I jumped for joy, hopped around the house and did a celebratory jig, which was induced every time I saw that letter in my room. In a few short weeks, I was taking my now regular commute to classes for the Fall 2016 semester as a member of the first cohort of Pepperdine University’s new MSBP program.

It did not take long for me to know that I chose the right educational path. Through my classes I have been able deepen my knowledge about the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). An especially exciting aspect of furthering my education in this field was that I have already been working in the field. My time working at ABI influenced my decision to pursue educational and professional development in this field. The combined approach of working at ABI and studying about ABA has benefitted me in learning the material through different learning modes. This method was a mix of conceptual learning and hand-on experience that has allowed me to develop an in-depth understanding of the material in school as well as more information to support my professional development. This graduate program was brand new when I applied last summer. However, becoming a member of a program that was new has allowed me to take part in opportunities for myself that I would want to make a part of my academic repertoire. Two such opportunities have been conducting research for a master’s thesis and helping to start a student association.

During my time as an undergraduate student, the words “research” and “thesis” did not register positively in my perception. However, my program brought my attention to the importance of research in our field. With the guidance of my supervisor at ABI, Allison Bickelman, I approached my program director about conducting my own research for a master’s thesis. Due to the promptness with which I approached her, she gave me an opportunity to work on a master’s thesis under her direct supervision, even though a thesis was not a part of our curriculum for this program. After hours spent planning and formulating a general protocol for my thesis, I could relish in the proud moment when my research proposal was approved by the IRB at Pepperdine University. And now with the support of ABI and a completed research proposal, I have been able to start conducting research with clients at ABI.

Another opportunity that I have been able to take advantage of was being a founding member of the Pepperdine Student Association for Behavior Analysis (PSABA). This student group was a new addition to those offered at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine this Spring 2017 semester. This group has been set apart from others in that its specific goals were made to spread academic and professional awareness of the field of applied behavior analysis. As the first president of this student association at Pepperdine, I have been able to work with my fellow officers in the process of formulating a focus of the association. Being a part of a program like this has motivated me to further my involvement in any way within the field both academically and clinically. Luckily, there have been plenty of opportunities to become involved in and plenty more to come.

The balance of work, school, the clinical internship at ABI, research and PSABA did take some time. Without the continued support of ABI, the process of finding balance would have been essentially impossible. Being a part of a work environment that both allows and encourages opportunities to further education in the field of ABA makes balancing feasible in the organized chaos surrounding me. And, to be honest, it does not always feel balanced. But the beauty of going through a transformation that includes learning across different academic and professional environments is that I have developed in ways that I did not think were previously possible. Each aspect has complimented the other. Life right now is a caffeinated frenzy of dragging a backpack of binders, textbooks, a tablet, chargers and apples (lots of apples) from one educational destination to another. And lucky for me, I love coffee, apples, and my back muscles have never been stronger.