“Harding has prepared me to go out into my field with a stable worldview of my beliefs..."

College of Sciences | Behavioral Sciences

College is a time when many students develop a passion for their field of study. Psychology major Sam Acuff is one such student who has developed a passion for his major and future career.

“In my opinion, psychology is the best major,” Acuff said. “You learn a lot about people, the people around you, and how humans work and operate.”

Serving as president of the psychology honors society Psi Chi, Acuff has seen first hand the growth of Harding’s psychology department.

“The department is growing a lot, and I think we’re moving from a liberal arts psychology department to a more dynamic, research-focused, forward-thinking department that is looking to produce students that excel in their field,” Acuff said. “They’re starting to give the students more opportunities, so that’s really exciting to me.”

Acuff has also enjoyed working with professor Dr. Jeremiah Sullins in new research classes and is excited about new research labs and the recently added cognitive neuroscience major.

According to Acuff, the best part of his college experience has been his own personal development that he has seen because of his department and Harding.

“Harding has prepared me to go out into my field with a stable worldview of my beliefs,” Acuff said. “The psychology department specifically has given me courage to go out into a field that is predominantly atheistic with confidence in what I believe. It is very special to me to have that firm foundation and grounding. The best part of my experience has been to look at myself four years ago and to look at myself now and to see the vast difference in knowledge, personality and maturity that has developed because of my time here, the things that I’ve learned and the people that I’ve been around.”

After graduating, Acuff hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology in order to work in a clinical setting doing research and counseling with trauma patients.