Majors: Psychology and cognitive science
Year: Fourth year
Nehal Methi’s academic pursuits and service activities center on kindness, compassion and care. Majoring in psychology and cognitive science, Methi has her sights set on a career working as a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She’s spent her time as an undergraduate pursuing opportunities to better understand and care for those experiencing mental illness.
One example of this is Methi’s volunteerism with local youth. As an active volunteer with University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, she engages with patients by dancing, playing games and connecting through other activities to make their days in treatment brighter. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Methi has continued to see the patients as an “aquarium volunteer,” going room-to-room with a fish tank to provide therapy and connect with others from a distance.
“My time at Rainbow Babies & Children’s [has been] the highlight of most of my weeks throughout these past several years,” Methi said.
Methi also supports Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital patients as the director of campus relations with SpartanTHON, a dance marathon organization on campus that partners with the hospital and helps raise money for treatments that insurance typically does not cover. The organization also seeks to educate about and advocate for children’s health. Methi has been a part of the organization since her first year at CWRU.
To further her work with area youth, Methi has also become involved with the Peer Leader Advisory Board for KNOW Abuse, through which she aids in the prevention of teen dating violence in the Cleveland community. She hosts virtual visits with high schools and middle schools, providing education and hosting discussions on topics like consent, healthy relationships and signs of abuse.
Outside of her volunteer work, Methi is the president of the Undergraduate Psychology Student Organization, through which she helps undergraduates connect with the psychology department and career opportunities.
“I wanted to give back to that community in some way,” she said, explaining her leadership role as a way to thank the many peers and faculty members who have helped her throughout her four years at Case Western Reserve University.
Looking to the future, Methi hopes to explore the fields of psychology and cognitive science further.
“I see a lot of meaning in going into a field in which an awful lot is yet unknown and eluding our understanding at this moment in time,” she said. Methi sees this more as a challenge than a barrier to progress: “There’s a lot left to learn and I love to learn.”