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Summer Spotlight: Maddie Castro
5/29/2019 8:19:00 AM | Soccer, M Club
Maddie Castro started in 12 games as she helped the Gopher soccer team to a Big Ten tournament title and a deep run in the NCAA tournament her senior year. After the team's historic run, she graduated in December of 2018. Castro then started her role as a clinical research coordinator in the medical school - department of neurology this past March. Take a few minutes to catch up with Madelyn and how she was able to achieve her goals in this recent Summer Spotlight. Â Â
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Tell us about your Gopher experience, more specifically the soccer program.Â
The moment I stepped onto campus, I knew this was the place I wanted to be. After meeting with the coaches, seeing facilities, and interacting with the team, I was absolutely sold. The Gopher soccer way is all about being a family, believing in each other, and pushing each other to be the best you can be. Of course there were a lot of ups and downs. That is kind of the beauty of playing a Division I sport. We won championships together, recovered from injuries together, spent lots of hours traveling together, and most importantly we were crushed by summer/winter workouts together. I am 110 percent who I am today because of those ups and downs and for the friendships I made along the way. One of the best decisions I ever made was deciding to be a part of the women's soccer team.Â
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What was your major and what would you like to do with it in the future?Â
I graduated with a bachelor of science degree in psychology with a minor in neuroscience. I plan on pursuing graduate school next year to hopefully get a duo PhD. in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. I have really loved working in research and I look forward to exploring options that allow me to do research and potentially teach.Â
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How is your current role in clinical research helping you toward those goals?
My current role has helped me see all of the steps of how research is conducted. I am learning a lot about what all the inner workings of designing a research study are and how to contribute to the success of those studies. PhD programs are very research based so I think having experience within all aspects of research will help me be successful when I go back school.Â
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What steps did you take during your undergraduate career to help you get to this point?
I tried to focus on gaining as much as experience as I could and working with different kinds of mentors. I was an undergraduate teaching assistant as well as a research assistant in two different research labs and I volunteered for organizations such as mental health Minnesota and The Aurora Center before I became a clinical research coordinator. I was kind of unsure what areas of psychology I wanted to specialize in so I just focused on finding positions and mentors that would help expose me to a lot of different areas of psychology.Â
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What advice do you have for other student-athletes who are preparing for graduate school?
First, applying for graduate school takes a lot of preparation so make sure you are putting in a good amount of your time so that your application truly reflects who you are. Second, be proud of your work! At times, it is easy to compare ourselves to other people especially when applying to competitive schools. Be proud of who you are and what you have experienced. Third, just like you did for undergraduate, do your research. Find the best school that fits you and your needs. Lastly and most importantly, always trust that everything is going to work out exactly how it should.
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Tell us about your Gopher experience, more specifically the soccer program.Â
The moment I stepped onto campus, I knew this was the place I wanted to be. After meeting with the coaches, seeing facilities, and interacting with the team, I was absolutely sold. The Gopher soccer way is all about being a family, believing in each other, and pushing each other to be the best you can be. Of course there were a lot of ups and downs. That is kind of the beauty of playing a Division I sport. We won championships together, recovered from injuries together, spent lots of hours traveling together, and most importantly we were crushed by summer/winter workouts together. I am 110 percent who I am today because of those ups and downs and for the friendships I made along the way. One of the best decisions I ever made was deciding to be a part of the women's soccer team.Â
Â
What was your major and what would you like to do with it in the future?Â
I graduated with a bachelor of science degree in psychology with a minor in neuroscience. I plan on pursuing graduate school next year to hopefully get a duo PhD. in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. I have really loved working in research and I look forward to exploring options that allow me to do research and potentially teach.Â
Â
How is your current role in clinical research helping you toward those goals?
My current role has helped me see all of the steps of how research is conducted. I am learning a lot about what all the inner workings of designing a research study are and how to contribute to the success of those studies. PhD programs are very research based so I think having experience within all aspects of research will help me be successful when I go back school.Â
Â
What steps did you take during your undergraduate career to help you get to this point?
I tried to focus on gaining as much as experience as I could and working with different kinds of mentors. I was an undergraduate teaching assistant as well as a research assistant in two different research labs and I volunteered for organizations such as mental health Minnesota and The Aurora Center before I became a clinical research coordinator. I was kind of unsure what areas of psychology I wanted to specialize in so I just focused on finding positions and mentors that would help expose me to a lot of different areas of psychology.Â
Â
What advice do you have for other student-athletes who are preparing for graduate school?
First, applying for graduate school takes a lot of preparation so make sure you are putting in a good amount of your time so that your application truly reflects who you are. Second, be proud of your work! At times, it is easy to compare ourselves to other people especially when applying to competitive schools. Be proud of who you are and what you have experienced. Third, just like you did for undergraduate, do your research. Find the best school that fits you and your needs. Lastly and most importantly, always trust that everything is going to work out exactly how it should.
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