Bee Nelson is a senior at Southern Utah University, who originally chose the school for its renowned nursing program. In pursuit of their education, they fell in love with different outlets to serve their community: psychology and writing.
“I’ve always wanted to help people,” they said. “I just had to figure out exactly how that looks for me.”
It was in the prerequisite process for SUU’s nursing program that Nelson discovered their passion for psychology. Now, their goal is to be a clinical psychologist.
“At this point, I’m pursuing a doctoral program so that I have the opportunity, not only to have clients, but also to continue to teach the future generation of clinicians and to continue to do research and writing of research,” they said.
The writing Nelson did for their courses is what led them to work at SUU’s Writing Center, where they now serve as a student director.
“I’m not an English major, so what am I doing here?” Nelson remarked. “To my surprise, I just started to fall in love with writing once I really learned how to do it academically; once I realized I can have my own voice.”
Finding their own voice really struck a chord with Nelson. At its core, this is the philosophy that has inspired their tenure at SUU.
“All I wanted to do was help people find their voice as well. I mean, that’s what I want to do in psychology,” Nelson said. “I am not changing anyone. All I am doing is giving people the resources to know how fantastic they can be if they put in the work.”
They emphasized that the tutors at the writing center shouldn’t be intimidating. They are fellow students who are trained to improve the writing of their peers.
Nelson has taken advantage of all the opportunities SUU has offered. Not only do they serve in a leadership position at the writing center, but they are also actively involved in their psychology courses. This semester, they are the writing consultant manager in one of their labs.
Despite all of their accomplishments, Nelson has struggled with imposter syndrome. They expressed that most people are shocked by this because they have such a bubbly personality, but it is something they have had to work through while in their management position.
“I learned that lesson from Mindy Benson herself when she presented on how she has overcome her imposter syndrome,” they said.
Outside of school, they love to spend time with their friends playing Dungeons and Dragons and going to the movie theater. Their top two movies are “Muppet from Space” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” Though the two films are drastically different, Nelson adores them equally.
“That’s what I absolutely love about movies,” they said. “We are able to tell a story so differently within the same media.”
Another thing Nelson loves is Cedar City and SUU. The annual sheep parade and The Grind Coffeehouse are two aspects of Cedar City that stand out, but what impresses them the most is the community that is created in a college town.
“There is so much diversity. There’s so many aspiring ideas coming from people who just want to make the world a better place in their own way,” they said. “It’s such a beautiful thing to have a community of people who are just in an era of self growth.”
Author: Heather Turner
Editor: Isaac Hirschi
Photo courtesy of Bee Nelson
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