Global Ambassador: Ankita Nikalje
Ankita is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program in the College of Education at Purdue.
Her research focuses on the continued psychological impacts of colonization in South Asian populations. She wants to understand how historical oppression and current experiences of racism impact mental and physical health. Ankita is also interested in developing culturally-sensitive assessments and measures to help internationalize psychology!
Ambassador Q & A (Questions and Answers)
Where do you spend most of your time on campus?
Beering Hall & Marriott Hall!
How do you recharge physically and/or mentally?
In my free time I am usually on Skype with my friends from back home.
Computer/Phone setup?
MacBook Pro; Nexus 6P.
What apps, software, or tools can't you live without?
Sleep as Android: It tracks my sleep cycle and tells me when I need to get to bed to get my 7.5 hours! Sleep is non-negotiable for me.
Twilight/F.lux: It reduces the blue light on my phone/laptop and has significantly reduced eye strain and headaches!
WhatsApp: This is how I stay in touch with friends and family back home.
Google calendar/iCal: This is how I (attempt to) keep myself organized.
What's your workspace setup like?
My most productive workplace setup is coffee shop with laptop and headphones specifically because of the easy access to coffee (shoutout to Fuel on Main St.!).
What's your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
Plan your week in advance! This means blocking out all fixed, recurring commitments such as classes or grocery trips, then one-off appointments such as meetings, and then identify and block-out when you will be working/studying... whatever it is you need to get done that week. Don't forget to block out times you wake up and go to sleep, this gives you a realistic sense of how much time you actually have that week... as a grad student usually not much.
Career goals?
My career goal is to work as an Academic and be a practicing Psychologist!
