Charting a path: Savannah Mahery’s ’24 journey to forensic psychology
March 5, 2024
At Maryville College, students are encouraged to steer their studies based on personal interests. There are thousands of paths to take and all of them can be right. Savannah Mahery ’24 found herself and her future career during her time at MC thanks to the College’s focus on individualized learning.
Mahery, a Psychology major with a minor in Criminal Justice from Sweetwater, Tennessee, has known she wanted to go into forensic psychology since the eighth grade. She credits reading “Night” by Elie Weisel in an English class as the inspiration for her career interests.
“We spent an entire semester on Night,’” she said. “It was my first experience learning about the Holocaust. I caught myself asking why did people do that to other people? I wanted to explore why criminals did what they did. When I was in high school, I found out that my interest had a name: forensic psychology.”
When Mahery transferred to Maryville College, she was able to explore that interest for academic credit. She credits Maryville College’s interdisciplinary strategies with preparing her for her internship and Senior Study.
“Maryville taught me foundational skills of how to speak with people and to be an advocate,” she said. “These have allowed me to build on my Senior Study.”
Mahery is currently interning with a local forensic neuropsychologist. She explained that a forensic neuropsychologist is a type of “psychologist who is also qualified to conduct neuro evaluations. They do those exams for individuals who are involved in the court system.”
Mahery credits Maryville College with opening the door to her internship. In her Contemporary and Professional Issues in Psychology course, Dr. Kathie Shiba, professor of psychology and assistant dean for institutional equity, brought in several guest speakers. One of them happened to be the forensic psychologist who became Mahery’s internship supervisor.
During her internship, Mahery has done a lot of work that many students do not get to tackle until graduate school.
“We work on a lot of vehicle accidents,” she said. “For example, there was a tire blowout on the highway and someone was hit with the tire. The tire caused their vehicle to flip and caused severe injuries. It’s a worker’s [compensation] case, where someone is claiming they can’t work because of mental health issues.
“Part of our job is trying to figure out if there are truths to these claims. That’s what’s cool about the internship I’m at, is that we’re appointed by both sides of the court in cases. It’s scientific. A lot of it boils down to guilty by insanity plea. When we were brought in by the prosecution for a triple homicide case, we evaluated the defendant to answer questions they wanted us to answer: Were they clinically insane? Did they know what they were doing was wrong?”
Since Maryville College encourages its students to explore their interests through their Senior Studies, Mahery had the unique opportunity to bring what she’s learning at her internship back to campus. Armed with that knowledge and experience, Mahery focused her Senior Study on the field of forensic psychology. The first part of Mahery’s study explored what the field looks like and outcomes of seeking said career. She is still working on the second half of her study.
The senior hopes to influence subsequent curricula so that future Psychology majors at the College better understand the opportunities of forensic psychology.
“The field is growing fast and the need for forensic neuropsychologists is growing,” she said. “I am figuring out how to show students that this is a path they can take. I want to work with faculty on educating them and expanding the knowledge of what forensic psychology is and how to better assist students who want to pursue that as a career.”
At Maryville College, interdisciplinary concepts and the liberal arts go hand-in-hand. Forensic psychology combines concepts from two disciplines: psychology and criminal justice. Even though these programs of study are in two separate academic divisions, Mahery is able to combine the two through the College’s liberal arts foundation and focus on student-led, interest-based learning. In her Senior Study, Mahery is creating a path for other students to do the same.
“I want to create resources for students so they have the information of what graduate school paths look like, what internships are available, and what a career in forensic psychology truly is. Long term, I would like to see a forensic psychology class at MC that introduces these concepts to them.”
Thanks to the small size and personalized attention of the MC community, those aspirations aren’t just pipe dreams. Dr. Crystal Colter, chair of the Division of Behavioral Sciences and Mahery’s Senior Study advisor, recognizes that Mahery’s leadership abilities and internship experiences have played a role in creating a thesis that is impactful.
“As Savannah’s Senior Study advisor, I have so enjoyed watching her leverage this transformational professional experience to craft a Senior Study that will build out resources for other Maryville College students interested in pursuing careers in forensic psychology,” Colter said. “I firmly believe that her Senior Study will have a long-lasting impact on future MC students.”
Thanks to the College’s emphasis on student research, interest-based learning and Mahery’s drive, her eighth-grade dreams are becoming a reality. After graduation, she plans to continue to graduate school and get a Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience.
“When I realized there was no concrete rubric or guidelines for the career path I wanted, the College gave me the space to explore my interest in forensic psychology,” she said. “I had to learn a lot on my way, and do my own research, but MC taught me how to stand up for what I want and believe in and to be an advocate for things I am passionate about. MC has given me a platform and a safe place to be an advocate.”