Michelle Tobar (B.S. ’19, M.S. ’23)
story by Claire Miller
After earning her bachelor’s in psychology at Georgia State University, Michelle Tobar (B.S. ’19, M.S. ’23) knew she was interested in pursuing a graduate degree.
In researching graduate school options, she decided the College of Education & Human Development’s educational psychology master’s program checked all the boxes for her.
“I felt like the professors were experts in their field and it was a diverse staff and student population,” she said. “It was important to me to work with people who were knowledgeable and that there were a lot of opportunities for diverse students.”
The master’s program in educational psychology helps students understand the science of learning and behavioral change, and how to apply psychological principles to the study of education. Students can choose from three different concentrations that allow them to delve deeper into human diversity, adult literacy, and human learning, cognition and motivation in educational contexts.
Tobar learned a variety of skills in the program, including data analytics and entry, working in a team setting while completing individual tasks assigned to her, and both the basic and complex elements of conducting research.
These skills have been invaluable in her career thus far. After earning her master’s degree, she became a data analyst with Los Ninos Primero, a nonprofit organization that provides academic, leadership and community programs for Latino families.
“I conducted and analyzed focus groups with their parents, teachers and volunteers for their 2023 annual report,” she said. “It was a great project where my skills were tested, since I was conducting their first qualitative project.”
Currently, Tobar works as a clinical research coordinator at Skyland Trail, a nonprofit mental health treatment organization in Atlanta. She’s working on a funded clinical trial where she’s conducting informed consent for trial participants, collecting data and ensuring the trial meets Institutional Review Board approval, among other tasks.
Tobar hopes that in the future, she’ll have opportunities to conduct her own research projects or have her work published in a journal. In the meantime, she’s grateful to have a job that has a meaningful impact on the clients Skyland Trail works with every day.
“The best part of my job is improving outcomes for the community – something I learned from everyone in the educational psychology program,” she said.
For more information, visit the educational psychology master’s program page.