This Faculty Interview was conducted in my very first semester of the MEITE program in the fall of 2019 for my EDUC 867 class, Issues in Educational Policy and Research, with Dr. Lora Cohen-Vogel.

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I present this document as an example of Design Thinking's first component - empathy, in which I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing Dr. Marissa Maraccini (Dr. M.), who was trained as a school psychologist. I conducted a face to face interview in her office lasting just over 35 minutes but I have to admit that I could have sat in Dr. M.'s office for hours as her research focus was so compelling!

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The goal of this assignment was to become more familiar with a faculty member and gain a better understanding of what a graduate student's road to becoming a PhD actually looks like. We immediately connected on our Italian heritage, being moms to young children, and juggling life's competing demands.

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Over those 35 plus minutes Dr. M. shared her journey of discovering suicide prevention of high-risk adolescents was her calling. Listening to Dr. M. discuss her efforts to build a bridge between hospital and school services to support adolescents made me feel so hopeful for these young adults, their parents and teachers.

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I had no idea how much empathy I would come away with for Dr. M.'s journey and those of the vulnerable population she supports!