Bianca Furtado ’26 is a Brazilian student who chose Framingham State for its affordability and outstanding academic reputation. Since arriving, she has participated in multiple research projects with faculty as she charts a path to one day earning her PhD.

I am a Brazilian American student, so the college selection process was challenging due to my parent's lack of experience combined with financial hardships. I have been paying tuition on my own, so I knew I wanted to go to a college that was affordable. Framingham State was not only affordable, but there were great talks about the psychology program here along with how much the professors cared about learning. I wanted to be able to feel supported in my undergraduate studies, so FSU felt like the right choice for me. Not only that, but the diversity amongst the students was a factor that helped as well.

As an undergraduate, I’ve had the opportunity to work as a lab assistant with Professor Michael Greenstein on studies he is doing related to memory and cognition. I learned in-depth about ethical practices when running human participants and what to do in emergency situations. I also input data from previous studies of his, and worked with Dr. Greenstein on data analysis as well.

I’ve also had the opportunity to take part in the McLean Hospital Mentorship Program, which paired me with a clinical psychologist who does research and clinical work. We meet at least once a month, and she coaches me on what to do in the field and how to reach the goals I have set. Another thing the program does is help students network and get to know other providers in different fields. It's a really great program, and their goal is to diversify the research landscape.

I can’t say enough about my time at Framingham State. The professors are so helpful and supportive. I also really appreciate the emphasis the University puts on celebrating different cultures and being inclusive. Both of those features have really stood out to me while being a student here.

After graduation, I’d like to pursue a clinical PhD program in the future. Before I apply though, I plan on taking a year or two working as a Research Assistant or doing a fellowship in a clinical setting to prepare me for graduate school. I really want to put an emphasis on different cultural perspectives within psychology research especially in Latino culture. There is a huge disparity between South American culture and North American culture that is not addressed while working in therapy, which may lead to those in Latino communities not feeling heard. I also have an interest in migraines, and how that plays out in the mental health world as someone who suffers with them.

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