ASU grad poised to make a difference in higher ed
As a Sun Devil, Abigail Murray wasn’t afraid to get involved in nearly every area of student life at ASU. The biology and psychology major challenged herself to break out of her comfort zone and ended her career at ASU as a well-rounded student leader.
Her participation in student organizations was a big part of her ASU experience.
“I was challenged to get involved with different parts of the ASU community. I think ASU did a lot to make me a little bit braver and a lot better leader than I was,” she said.
She decided to attend ASU after seeing the wide array of resources that were available within smaller campus communities. And she was involved in many student organizations in her time as a Sun Devil. Her leadership included being a part of the University Hearing Board, the NASPA Undergraduate Fellow Program, TRIO STEM, Maroon and Goldfish Swim Club, the Solera Experience, Barrett Artists and Musicians, the ASU Decision Day Overnight Experience, the ASU More 2 Explore Experience and the ASU West Expo Overnight Experience.
Murray worked at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex as faculty coordinator and special events, projects and logistics coordinator. She was a fiscal assistant for the Dean of Students Office and a desk assistant for Residential Life; she even worked as a lab technician in a black widow lab on the West campus.
Along with her experience as a student leader, Murray was an Obama Scholar Recipient, a New American University Scholar and a Dean's List student.
Murray’s variety of involvements helped her understand what she wanted to do next: She’s pursuing a graduate degree in student affairs.
As she prepared to graduate, Murray reflected on her experiences at ASU.
Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?
Answer: I actually started with a forensics degree, and I had a minor in psychology. When I was in high school I took an AP psychology class, and I just really loved it. One of the best teachers that I had in high school taught it.
So I wanted to stay in touch with that, and my original goal was to become a forensic pathologist but I realized that I [didn’t want to pursue that] pretty early on. So I was like OK I have all the science credits. I really like my psych minor, so I decided to do something related to science because I've already stacked up a lot of credit.
So I switched to a biology and a psychology degree so I can kind of have a really broad understanding and figure out where I want to go from there.
Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you, that changed your perspective?
A: So I did my thesis on how the Solara Experience affects first-year students at ASU’s West campus, and when I was doing my research to understand I was looking at higher education throughout the years. It has become more diverse over time, and I think getting to go through that process I gained a much better understanding of diversity in higher education.
I didn’t really understand how that impacted students until I did some of the research. I think I've gained a better understanding of other people and how to work in more diverse environments and how to be more inclusive.
Q: Why did you choose ASU?
A: One, I really liked the forensic program and two, they offered me a lot of money and scholarships. And there's just a lot of resources at ASU because it is so massive that I felt like I could get what I wanted. I could be at West and get that small-campus environment and smaller class sizes, so I could try and be more engaged in the classroom but I could also get all the resources that come with a larger campus.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: I think the biggest piece of advice I’d give people is to focus more on the quality of their experience than the quantity. I know that definitely I’ve allowed myself to get overcommitted with things and I don’t think that I've gotten the most out of my experiences that I could've gotten. Not that I regret anything that I’ve done, but I wish that I’d given myself a little bit more time to just be invested in the things that I was doing.
Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?
A: There's a sculpture that's called “Reading” on campus, and it's on Fletcher Lawn right by the library. When I first came to the West campus that was my favorite thing because I just think it's such a cool statue.
My favorite place to study was the third floor of the University Center Building. There's a little round table up there. I just liked it because it was quiet because it's mostly a working environment. I used to get jokes all the time that they would put a plaque on the wall there because I was sitting up there reading so much or doing school work.
Q: What professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
A: Dr. Ken Sweat. He taught my first class that I ever took at ASU, and he taught biology. And he's actually one of the reasons I decided to stay with biology because I just loved getting to be in the classroom with him.
The biggest thing he taught me was that college was a lot more challenging than I probably thought it would be, and I really had to engage with the material. But he also taught me how fun it could be to learn in a college classroom setting.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I am going to be going into a master’s program in student affairs and counseling at Northern Arizona University and be a graduate assistant there for residential life and the residential colleges.
Q: Who impacted you throughout your time at ASU. Who you would like to thank?
A: There is a really good professional staff at the West campus, and they have impacted my life. I would want to thank all the staff who have supported me at the West campus, because they have done a lot to impact my personal, professional and academic growth and I probably wouldn’t quite be where I am today without them.