ASU coursework leads new grad to passion for marriage and family therapy

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for fall 2018 commencement. Read about more graduates.

Kat Nicolopoulos originally chose to come to Arizona State University because she comes from a big Sun Devil family, with several siblings and other family members who are ASU graduates. The Scottsdale resident was also drawn to the research opportunities and the variety of student resources on campus. 

She is now graduating with a double major in family and human development from the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics and psychology through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

She has known for a long time that she wants to work in the counseling field after learning about relationships and therapeutic techniques in her classes, but she wasn’t sure which specialization she wanted to pursue until her later years at ASU when she developed a growing passion for marriage and family therapy (MFT). After graduation, Nicolopoulos is applying to the Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy program through the Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics to become a trained MFT therapist. She hopes to be part of the fall 2019 cohort. 

Nicolopoulos is the perfect example of a student who understood the importance of taking advantage of opportunities in order to make the most of her time at ASU. She became very involved in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as both a community assistant and an LIA facilitator. When speaking of these experiences, Nicolopoulos said, “I’ve developed stronger critical thinking skills, enhanced my encouraging spirit and successfully gained confidence and trust from others in these roles. Overall, this has been as much of a learning experience as it’s been a humbling process in my personal and professional growth. These new and more developed skills have all contributed in encouraging me to pursue my passion of empathy for others and a future career in counseling and therapy.”

In addition to her on-campus work, Nicolopoulos also excels as a student and is graduating with a 3.9 GPA.

So, what advice does she have for students?

"Take a chance on the opportunities offered. There are so many resources that are available to you at ASU, and oftentimes they go unutilized, whether it be professors, office hours or other on-campus resources. Be confident in yourself because you are enough, and only grow with each experience.”  

Written by Stacie Foster