Brianna Bartoszewski graduated from UW-Green Bay in May 2014 with majors in Psychology and Human Development. Brianna went on to receive her master’s in school counseling from Marquette University in 2016 and is now working as a middle school counselor in Pewaukee, WI.
What do you do now? I am a school counselor at a middle school in Pewaukee, WI. As middle school counselor, I support students with their academic, career, and social-emotional development in an individual, group, and classroom setting. Middle school is all about transitions, and it can be a challenging, yet rewarding time, for families. Being able to work together with students, families, and staff during some of the most critical years during a child’s development is something I value most about my career. Each day my work varies, but I work with a team who inspires and empowers students every day to ensure they are future ready.
Why did you decide to major in Psychology and Human Development? When I first started at UWGB, I was unsure what I wanted to do, which is common for many students. The second semester of my freshman year I took an Introduction to Psychology class with Dr. Gurung. His passion about the subject and approach to the class made me eager to learn from him and others in the profession. This was the first time since I started college that I left a class interested in wanting to learn more! I was also taking the Introduction to Human Development course at the same time and quickly learned how these two majors are closely related.
What academic experience or accomplishment are you most proud of? My senior year at UWGB I had the opportunity to complete a research project wit the support of Dr. Gurung through an honors project and independent study. Our research project focused on 10 major learning techniques and how these influence exam scores at the college level. Over the course of my senior year, I completed two different studies that focused on the relationship between learning techniques and exam scores, providing us the opportunity to improve the project my second semester. The project won a research award at the Midwesteren Psychological Association (MPA) conference in May 2014. Furthermore, Dr. Gurung encouraged me to submit the research to a journal. After receiving feedback, many revisions later, as well as the hours spent working after graduation, the research article was published in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology journal! It is truly an accomplishment for the research to be published and shared with others to help support their teaching practices.
What is an important goal or accomplishment you are currently working on? In addition to my career, one thing I am passionate about is wellness and health. I focus on my physical wellness daily by engaging in a variety of activities including running. At the end of my senior year I began training for my first half marathon, and since then I have accomplished 3 half marathons, as well as a handful of 10k and 5k races. This year I had the goal of competing in another 10k race and setting a personal record, which is something I accomplished at the end of September! A fun fact is that I have limited myself to participating in one race a year, and I do not focus on long distance running until 6-weeks before the race.
What do you do for fun? I can be described as someone that is always on the go! I enjoy spending time with family & friends, being active, cooking, baking, reading, traveling, and watching romantic comedies. In addition, my significant other and I recently welcomed a silver lab puppy into our home. Mila is now 6 months and is consistently making us laugh and move!
What else do you want people to know about you? My favorite romantic comedy and go-to movie is “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”!
