Maja Jakovljevic is a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) graduate. She was born in Yugoslavia and spent the early years of her childhood in a war. At the age of five, Maja and her mother sought asylum in Germany, while her father was a prisoner of war back home. Maja’s father was eventually freed and immigrated to Germany. Her younger brother was born in Germany and the whole family immigrated to the U.S.A. when Maja was seven.
Defying the odds, Maja always had big dreams. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. While Maja enjoyed teaching, she wanted to work with individuals on a deeper level. Five years later, she began her journey of earning her Psy.D. in clinical psychology. She initially wanted to work with children, but through her clinical training, found her love in working with adults.
Maja has had clinical training experience in various settings, including a psychiatric hospital, a community mental health center, a therapeutic day school, Veterans Affairs hospitals, and a federal health care facility. She is currently completing her doctoral internship for the U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago. There, she works with active-duty military members and veterans in the Primary Care Clinic, the Substance Abuse Recovery Program, and the Trauma Recovery Program. Maja feels honored to be staying there for her postdoctoral fellowship.
As her graduate school journey comes to an end, her big dreams and love for lifelong learning do not. Maja continues to be inspired to be the change for a better tomorrow. She takes pride in her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. While Maja continues to grow personally and professionally, she fully embraces her ongoing lifelong journey of cultural humility.
When Maja isn’t crushing her professional goals and dreams, she is a rockstar mom to her two children. They love spending time outdoors, exploring new parks, trying new foods, and playing their favorite game—UNO! They also love to travel and see the beauty that this world has to offer. Maja’s children have been her strength, motivation, and biggest fans throughout her Psy.D. journey.
What does Commencement/graduation mean to you?
To me, graduation means the final, culminating event of all the experiences I have had throughout my Psy.D. journey. That journey has been full of challenges, mistakes, and failures—and full of so much growth, accomplishments, rewards, and a sense of purpose. While my graduate school journey is over, my love for lifelong learning and development is not. Graduation marks the beginning of new experiences that I know will allow for me to grow personally and professionally.
Did you have to overcome any difficult challenges during your education to make it to graduation? If so, what were they?
As a mother of two children, I have multiple life roles that must be balanced simultaneously. While it is never a true balance, I have had to put my time management skills to use all the time. I always prioritized time with my children and would usually complete schoolwork and study at night once they were sleep. As they grew older and started school, we would all have “homework time” and would work on things at the same time. It allowed for us to spend time together, stay connected, and learn. While being a mother in graduate school has been full of challenges, it has also been full of rewards, motivation, and strength.
What has your experience at NLU been like?
AMAZING! I have felt a tremendous amount of support at NLU. The professors and staff of my Psy.D. program have supported, inspired, pushed, and challenged me throughout my journey. Oftentimes, they believed in me more than I believed in myself. Not only have they cared about me as a professional, they have also cared about me as an individual. On the larger, university scale, NLU has been a place where I felt like I fit in. The energy here is so welcoming, people are ready to help each other, and I feel like I am a true part of a community. As a former war refugee, I oftentimes feel like no place is home—but I didn’t feel that here. NLU has felt like home.
What are your plans for the future?
I will be completing my postdoctoral fellowship for U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, where I will continue working with active-duty military members and veterans. I feel honored for being able to do the work that I do, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of my professional journey has in store.
Original source can be found here.
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