Erin Brereton
Erin Brereton is a senior Psychology major working towards additional certification in Human Resources Management. Erin comes to Pace University as an international student from her home country of Trinidad and Tobago, an island state in the southern Caribbean.
It would seem that hailing from a country so far away, Pace would be an unlikely choice, but Erin explains, “A lot of influential people in my life either applied or went to Pace, so growing up I always heard about this school.” She says that her mother applied here in the 70s, and her godmother and best friend’s father both are Pace alumni. There was also a recruitment drive in Trinidad and Tobago where she got to meet and speak to other Pace graduates which helped her to decide.
Though she is more than 2000 miles away from her native country, Erin has made Pace a second home and keeps herself busy on campus. Aside from being a member of the Pforzheimer Honors College, she is a member of three other honor societies: Psi Chi, Alpha Chi, and Golden Key. Erin is also the former Secretary and Senator for the Psychology Club and an employee of Pace University’s tutorial services. She is a member of the Model United Nations team, as well, and recently attended the Southern Regional Model United Nations in Atlanta. She says, “I like being involved on campus. It gives me something to do other than school work, and it forces me to work on my time management skills.”
When asked what she feels are the most important things to keep in mind throughout college, Erin states that getting involved in activities on campus is a definite must. She says, “It makes you realize your potential and capabilities. In addition, interacting with your fellow students, as well as professors and staff, is always a positive experience.” She also highly recommends studying abroad. Even though Erin has never studied abroad with Pace University through travel courses or student exchange programs, being an international students means that her entire college career has been a “study abroad” experience. “I am really grateful that I got the opportunity to study in a foreign country because it exposed me to a new culture, I learned to adapt to new environments, and I got to meet people not just from the United States but from all over the world. It definitely makes you realize that everyone has a story, and to appreciate differences,” she says.
Erin has enjoyed her years at Pace University. One of her best memories of her time here is being asked to be an extra in a Bollywood movie while waiting in line to see the Broadway play, Bombay Dreams, during University Fest of her freshman year. As a whole, she has genuinely enjoyed living in the townhouses and loves the campus during the springtime.
It is no doubt that with such a positive attitude and a great head on her shoulders Erin will have a bright future ahead of her. Her immediate goal is to get accepted into and complete graduate school, although she has decided to pursue studies in Human Resources and International Relations instead of Psychology. She also says that it has been a lifelong dream of hers to work for the United Nation or another international organization and to travel the world. She has even made a list of countries she wants to visit.
