USU Eastern graduate named USU Logan’s 2014 valedictorian

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A graduate of USU Eastern will serve as Utah State University’s psychology department valedictorian. Jade Stevenson, Price, will receive her bachelor’s of science degree from the Logan campus with the highest GPA in her class.
“I worked hard to do really well,” Stevenson said. “I am super excited and have a good feeling about all the work I put into my classes.”
She did not decide to major in psychology until after completing her associate’s degree. “I took a class from Dr. [Heath] Earl and he got me excited about the field. I like how psychology applies to real life.”
After graduation in May, she hopes to get a job where she can get experience for a few years. Then she plans to apply to graduate school to continue work on her master’s and doctorate’s degrees.
“My goal is to be a marriage and family counselor, plus teach at a university,” she said.
Her advice to students: “Start fresh and learn how to study. Find a subject you are interested in and learn all you can about it. One has to study, you cannot succeed in college if you cram for all your classes. You have to know the material.”
Stevenson’s favorite class was behavioral analysis. “Everyone should take this class; you look at different techniques to mold and shape your behavior. This can be used in effective parenting skills that creates positive reinforcement with children.”
Earl said Stevenson was one of his best students. She is superior to the vast majority of her co-students. In his classroom, she demonstrated professionalism and preparedness as well as natural leadership amongst her peers.