This week, get to know Maura Longenecker, a senior psychology major here at Elizabethtown College. Before coming to Etown, Longenecker took a gap year after her senior year of high school to go to Ecuador. While there, she worked with refugees at a local project.
“I sorted clothes and bagged food and such, but realized all I wanted to do was just sit down and talk with them,” Longenecker said. Both of her parents are therapists, but that wasn’t a direction she had considered before.
“They both love their jobs, but it’s emotionally taxing and needs a lot of education and certification,” Longenecker said. However, when she would get bored in high school, she would seek out psychology topics to learn more. During this trip, she realized she had always been analyzing people’s behavior, and decided to pursue an education in psychology, as it always came naturally to her.
Longenecker enjoys many of her classes here at Etown, but particularly loves the ones dealing with some aspect of social psychology, whether it’s about how systems impact lives, form beliefs, or points of view. Social psychology, psych of women and gender and psych of prejudice are her favorites so far. Longenecker chose Etown to stay close to home and be able to spend time with her family.
“After Ecuador, I wanted to spend some time around my family. Plus, several generations of my family have gone here, so there’s a legacy and being a part of history,” Longenecker said.
When asked about her experience at Etown, Longenecker shared her mixed feelings.
“I love my classes and my professors, I’m getting a good education, but this campus sucks,” Longenecker said. She spoke about how she feels certain groups on campus have started instances of hate and bias, and she also shared her distaste for the way she sees some students reject things professors have spent years learning about and teaching. She finds it very difficult feeling safe and welcomed on a campus where her peers can be very biased and prejudiced. It’s true that the campus has seen a growing number of bias-related incidents this past year, especially with the new bias-related incident reporting system. Despite this, Longenecker has many friends on campus and tries to create a positive change for her school.
Longenecker looks forward to traveling again since she is looking to do another volunteer abroad opportunity after she graduates, preferably somewhere where she can continue to work on her Spanish skills. After that, she plans to work towards getting a masters degree in social work (MSW).
“I am really passionate about social justice issues, along with how they relate to our psyche. My Mom has a MSW and I know it gives you an education that has more variety, and is more applicable to different careers and jobs. That way I’m not stuck if it turns out I don’t want to be a counselor,” Longenecker said.
Longenecker has been a part of many clubs, such as Emotion and the Gender-Sexuality Alliance, but currently she is a part of the Nifty Needlework club and is the secretary of the Psych Honors club, Psi Chi. In her spare time, Longenecker loves baking and creating art. She challenged herself to learn how to make bread, but she also has a sweet tooth. As for art, she works on many projects at once, such as jewelry making, pottery, glass casting, painting and much more.
“I’ve done enough that I’ve gotten a bit of a delusion that I can learn how to do almost anything art related, and I haven’t proven myself wrong yet,” Longenecker said.
Longenecker was born in California and lived in Santa Clarita with her Mom, Dad and little sister Bella. Her mom and her side of the family were all from Glendale, while her Dad was from Mount Joy, Pa. When Longenecker was eight years old, she and her family moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to her Dad’s side of the family. She and her sister Bella are five years apart, so her sister is currently a junior in high school, and is already looking at colleges! Longenecker’s family also has a chocolate lab named Lacey, who is full of energy and friendliness.
