Natalie Castillo
“I like to think everyone is a superhero, but we just have to unlock our own unique superpowers — and a degree in psychological science is going to help me unlock and use my superpower.”
Major: Psychological Science
Hometown: Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Involvement: Information Technology Help Desk student worker
It was her mother’s dream of a better life for her daughter that brought Natalie Castillo from a small town in Puerto Rico to Clarksville, Tennessee, but it wasn’t until she enrolled at Austin Peay State University that Castillo herself realized the opportunity in front of her and found a way to make her mother’s dream a reality.
“Being a first-generation college student is such an honor for me and it’s a title that I say proudly and happily because I realize that I need be the person to pave the road for others in my family to follow,” Castillo said.
“With help from Austin Peay and the love and support of my family, it has been an amazing feeling to work towards being the example that future generations of my family can follow.”
A psychology major with a focus on psychological science and family studies, Castillo is excelling in the classroom as she works towards a future career as a psychologist.
The combination of coursework and the professors she learns under through Austin Peay’s Department of Psychological Science and Counseling has helped Castillo realize her own dream and unlock what she calls her “superpower.”
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“Being at Austin Peay has definitely helped me realize that I want to be a psychologist and help other people,” Castillo said. “It sounds corny, but I like to think everyone is a superhero, but we just have to unlock our own unique superpowers — and a degree in psychological science is going to help me unlock and use my superpower.”
