Efren Velazquez is an assistant professor of psychological science.
I have always enjoyed watching the sport of baseball, ever since I was an adolescent. In baseball, there are different levels that professional baseball players have to go through before they can make it to the big leagues (MLB). In a way, getting a tenure-track position at a university is no different. You have to obtain a bachelor's degree (Single-A) before you get into graduate school. Afterward, you get your master's degree (Double-A), and, if you would like, a PhD (Triple-A), before jumping into a tenure-track position at a university (MLB). I went through all these phases in a period of 11 years, non-stop. In fall 2018, I accepted a tenure-track position at UNG in the Department of Psychological Science, meaning that I finally made it to the big leagues at the age of 28. This was my first job, post-graduate school, and I was both excited and nervous. Excited because I was finally going to make money after being broke for so many years, yet nervous because I would be in charge of my classes and responsible for educating students within my discipline.