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Student Snapshot: Anna Choudary ’25 

Anna Choudary ’25 strikes a resonant chord at Dickinson, combining research on substance use risk with a passion for vocal performance and campus leadership.

Hometown:

Charlotte, N.C.

Major:

Psychology, with a minor in music.

Clubs and organizations:  

Project Wave (co-founding president) and College Choir.

Honors/scholarships/awards:

Provost Scholarship, Music Scholarship Award and PsiChi National Honors Society.

Best thing about my Dickinson experience:

The music department (particularly the voice department and Associate Professor James Martin and contributing faculty member Lisa Turchi) is a large part of the reason I call Dickinson my home. The department is welcoming and accepting, and it has provided me with the perfect balance of challenge and support.

If I had to pick a specific experience with the music department, it would be getting to perform in the annual Concerto Competition two years in a row. It was such an honor to perform alongside such talented musicians, and I grew exponentially as a performer and a student.

Favorite class/learning experience:

My favorite learning experiences have been all of the advanced research classes in the psychology department. Those courses have provided me with a remarkable amount of hands-on research experience for an undergraduate psychology student, and the small class sizes make for a really tight-knit, collaborative community. My favorite of the several research classes I have taken was Senior Lecturer Michele Ford’s Research Methods in Counseling Psychology. We learned how to develop and administer various psychological assessments.

Post-Dickinson plans:

I’m planning on taking a gap year to work in applied behavioral health before pursuing a Ph.D. in school psychology.

About my research:

I’m doing an independent research project with the psychology department under Professor Ford. We’re working to develop the Risk Inventory for Frequent Alcohol and Cannabis Co-Use (RIFACC), which aims to identify young adults at high risk for frequent alcohol and cannabis use (use of alcohol and cannabis at the same time, so that their effects overlap).

Most important thing I’ve learned so far:

While academics are crucial to success, there is so much more to college and life in general.

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS 

Published April 23, 2025