The Student Becomes the Teacher

Above all, it was the connections that Alivia Zubrod ’17 made during her time at Mount Mercy University that inspired her to achieve a career in academia.

Alivia recently accepted a role as an Assistant Professor at Park University in Parkville, Missouri, and she credits two Mount Mercy professors with setting her on the path.

“I strongly believe the only reason I am where I am is because of my connections with my professors, especially Dr. Dennis Dew and Dr. Ron Feldt.”

Alivia visited Mount Mercy intending to study sociology. A professor recommended that she consider double majoring in psychology. It hit her during Dr. Dew’s Social Psychology class: she wanted to be a social psychologist.

The ability to conduct research and attend conferences with Dr. Feldt was crucial in Alivia’s undergraduate experience.

“Getting involved in research was absolutely pivotal in helping solidify what I wanted to do moving forward.” Traveling to conferences gave Alivia the opportunity to meet professors outside of Mount Mercy and to listen to renowned psychologists speak.

While her professors played a large role in where she is today, Alivia says the Mount Mercy community as a whole stood out to her. During her time at Mount Mercy, Alivia was a student-athlete as well as a Student Ambassador. She felt her coaches and peers always supported her. “At Mount Mercy, everyone wants to help you pursue your goals.”

Her professors also helped her make the jump to applying to graduate school. Dr. Feldt encouraged Alivia to apply to the University of Northern Iowa and walked her through the application process. Alivia was grateful for the encouragement.

“I wanted to go to graduate school, but I was too afraid to take that first step by myself.”

Alivia received her Masters of Arts in Psychology from UNI. She is now a PhD candidate at the University of Montana and will graduate in May. She’ll begin her role at Park University in August.

The bonds Alivia formed at Mount Mercy remained strong following graduation. After her first semester of graduate school at UNI, she met with Dr. Dew and was able to share the challenges she was facing. She also had monthly dinners with Dr. Feldt and another student to catch up. “They were just so vital in my growth— not only as a student but as a person.”

The connections Alivia formed during her time at Mount Mercy made her want to work with undergraduate students.

“To be able to give students the experience I had, that would be a great way to live the rest of my life.”

Soon this dream will become a reality. As an Assistant Professor at Park University, Alivia hopes to be a mentor for students in and outside of the classroom by providing the kind of research and conference opportunities she experienced during her undergraduate career. Alivia also aspires to have the same impact on students as her professors had on her.

“There’s nothing as important, I think, as making someone feel special, and that’s really what the professors at Mount Mercy did for me.”