Jessica Fossum

Jessica Fossum

Hometown: Bellevue, WA

Major/Minor: Applied Mathematics and Psychology major

Favorite/Most challenging class (and a brief explanation why): My favorite and most challenging class was Probability and Statistics. Through this class, and with the help of professors who care enough to take the time to help me figure out what I'm passionate about, I ended up finding statistics to be a major area of overlap between psychology and mathematics. This class has shaped much of what I value and helped guide my path towards something I'm so excited to continue learning about — quantitative psychology.

Favorite memory of SPU: When I look back at these past four years, there are so many fun memories that come to mind. The unifying theme though is the people, and I'm so thankful for the community I've been a part of here. But my favorite memory is being part of groups working together for common goals — whether in the classroom, a research lab, or a ministry.

Biggest life lesson learned during college:  The biggest life lesson I've learned through my college experience at SPU is about God's faithfulness. I'm a planner at heart, and there have been so many times where God changes that plan but it turns out to be so much better than I ever could have imagined. Through all of the challenges and times of joy, this story has always been less about what I'm doing and more about what God is doing.

Plans after graduation: Pursuing a PhD in quantitative psychology at UCLA.