Imani Thomas ’25 Awarded Scholarship to Earn Psychology Ph.D.

Major: Forensic Psychology
Minor: Africana Studies
Programs: Honors Program, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, Office for Student Research & Creativity (OSRC), CUNY Immersive Research Experience Program (CIRE)
Mentors: Elizabeth Jeglic, Ph.D., Psychology Professor; Ernest Lee, Ph.D., McNair Associate Director; Bettina Muenster, OSRC Assistant Director; Edgardo Sanabria-Valentín, Ph.D., CIRE Director; Gabriel Camacho, Ph.D., Psychology Assistant Professor 
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Career Aspiration: Psychologist
Post-graduate Plan: University of North Dakota Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program

Why are you passionate about psychology and earning your Ph.D.?
There’s just so much knowledge within the psychology field that can inform and expand anyone’s perspective. While studying psychology, I remember looking at a lot of published articles and realizing, for the most part, that the researchers were typically cisgendered, heterosexual, white men and women. You don’t really see a lot of Black women and men, or queer individuals within psychology. I think those perspectives and voices are important to include.

Another reason why I’m passionate about psychology—and specifically studying sexual violence—is because I actually experienced sexual violence at a very young age. My offender was an older boy who always told me, “Don’t tell your mom or sister, or something bad will happen to them.” And, at seven years old, I believed him and never sought out help or therapy. In the beginning, I thought it was cool hanging out with the older kids and this 17-year-old boy who was being sweet and endearing to me, but now I can look back and see the sexual grooming that took place. I recognize that he was intentionally isolating me from my friends. When our interactions changed to sexual contact, it was uncomfortable and traumatic for me. Afterwards, I had a lot of bad thoughts, suicidal thoughts, and struggled to comprehend what happened to me. 

As I got older, I started to understand that wasn’t something that should have happened to me and I should have spoken up, but I didn’t know how to speak up for myself. Later in high school, I had friends who confided in me that they too experienced sexual assault. It made me realize how prevalent the problem was and how often the victims of sexual assault feel confused, depressed, and alone. I remember trying to find resources for my friends and running into closed mindsets. There was an overwhelming stigma attached to being a sexual assault survivor.

This is why I’m focused on concentrating my research on queer and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals who experienced childhood sexual abuse. I want to explore the psychological impacts on these individuals, including depression, suicide, trauma, and internalized shame. I feel like doing this work is somehow healing the inner me, that little kid who didn’t have support. It’s also for my friends, and other people who are BIPOC and queer, who have experienced sexual violence and can’t find research or information out there specifically focused on them. I want to be able to provide that support for them.

How did your mentor help you navigate the grad school application process?
As a first-generation college student, it was so important having someone like Dr. Jeglic to ask questions and talk about my options. She told me about potential professors I could look into contacting, helped me figure out how many schools I should apply to, and made sure I didn’t freak out during the process. When I sat down with Dr. Jeglic, she noticed that I kept coming back to the University of North Dakota. I rambled on and on about how much I loved their program. When I considered other schools, I’d always find something that North Dakota had but they didn’t. Dr. Jeglic knew I was leaning towards North Dakota, but she wanted to make sure I got everything I needed. Once I got acceptance letters, she had me send her all my offers and helped me come up with follow-up questions. Most of Dr. Jeglic’s questions were based on ensuring that my education and resources were secure.

What are your plans after graduation?
I applied to 13 clinical psychology Ph.D. programs and I got into four of them, including the University of Kansas, the University of North Dakota, the University of North Texas, and Saint Louis University. I ended up committing to the University of North Dakota because I realized how much I loved their program, which has a big forensic criminal justice focus, and they’re funding 90 percent of my tuition along with a monthly stipend of $1,880. Also, the University of North Dakota has a huge clinic that’s a complete wing of a building. There’s a pediatric side, therapy and assessment rooms, even a full reception area. When I visited the campus, the graduate students were absolutely phenomenal. They seemed very happy about being students there. I also noticed that the community really cared about diversity and inclusion, especially for native and indigenous individuals. 

One of the most important reasons why I wanted to go to the University of North Dakota was to work with a particular faculty member, Dr. Tiffany Russell. When we sat down for the interview, it felt like a casual conversation. I wasn’t nervous at all speaking with her because she made sure I was comfortable. As soon as we started talking, she said, “I see you have a recommendation from Dr. Elizabeth Jeglic. I’m a huge fan of her work.” The fact that she respected my mentor, a woman I hugely admire, meant a lot to me. It felt like a full-circle moment.

What will earning your Ph.D. mean to you and your family?
No one in my family has a bachelor’s degree. I’m the first. So, a lot of what I’ve been doing throughout my John Jay journey my family didn’t fully understand, but they’ve been very supportive. Whatever I say I’m trying to accomplish, my mom says, “Go for it, baby! I know you can do it.” My dad admits that he doesn’t completely grasp everything I’m doing, but he has confidence in my decisions and abilities. My grandmother, she’s my rock and my best friend. In the future, I want to lead the way and show young people in my family what it means to have a Ph.D., what it entails, and how I can help them reach their goals. I especially want to do that for Black people and Black women, showing them that they can go that far in their education.

What will you be doing in 10 years?
I see myself as a mixture of being a clinician and a professor. I really like helping people grow and learn. I want to be a professor for students—like me when I first came to John Jay—who are not really sure how to navigate the world of academia. I want to be the professor that shows them how to conduct research and work in a lab. As a clinician, I want to have a practice centered around sexual violence, and to some degree be specifically focused on diverse populations.