Megan Zarucha – 2012-13

Name: Megan Zarucha

Graduation year: 2014

School year she served as the student rep: 2012-13

Hometown: River Vale

How being the student rep impacted them: “I definitely think confidence was key. Obviously, when you’re a student representative, you are a student and you are working and speaking with adults. It was great because all the adults that I have worked with were very easy to speak to, and they made me really comfortable, and they were easy to approach. But I also think that it gave me the confidence to speak up and to speak on matters that might be uncomfortable for students.”

PV involvement (besides Student Council): Habitat for Humanity, tennis, PV theater, prom committee, yearbook committee

PV memory: “The pep rallies. That was always fun organizing and being involved in them. I loved just kind of feeling a sense of community. I also loved how much the teachers were always so excited to be doing them and also participating in them. So that was something [that was] always fun. It was just nice to kind of participate as a school even though things were divided by grade as well for the competitions and stuff like that. But that was something that I always looked forward to being a part of and also assisting with planning.”

Favorite PV teachers: Doherty, Walter

Post-high school path:  “So I took [Ryan Walter’s psychology] class and I absolutely loved it. So originally, I was majoring in psychology in undergrad at Temple University in Philadelphia. I met this awesome professor and I realized that social work was more something that I wanted to study. With social work, you can do different things within the field [and] I didn’t know what I exactly wanted to do yet, so that’s what made me change my degrees. So I got my bachelor’s in social work, and then…I graduated from NYU with my masters in social work.”

What she’s up to now: Zarucha works as an inpatient social worker at a psychiatric hospital.

Future plans: “Right now, I’m a licensed social worker. I’m in the process of collecting my hours to be a licensed clinical social worker. That essentially means that I can officially diagnose someone or start up my own practice. It means that you’ve had hours and supervision as what I am currently doing now. So it’s pretty much an upgrade for what I’m doing right now. I actually really want to work in administration at a hospital. So right now my goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker, and then hopefully one day be an administrator.”

Advice for future student reps: “

Advice for high school students: “Something that I wish that I told myself so many years ago is not to stress and everything will fall into place. And also if something doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to speak up. The things that you learned in high school…are going to continue with you in college and in your life. Now’s the time to kind of mess up and try to figure yourself out even when you do go to college because again, you are still young and still figuring it out. But you know, just going back to an example for me like I never knew my love for psychology until I took Mr. Walter’s class. So try things and [don’t] be afraid to kind of take a step forward.”