Meet Rucha Markale

What experiences related to your psychology major do you have/have you had? 

Rucha works as a mental health worker at a psychiatric residential treatment center where she works with adults with a primary psychiatric diagnosis to provide psychiatric rehabilitation and nursing care. She also works as a research assistant in the PTAD lab in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She has also worked in Dr. Lee’s FamiLee Lab in the Department of Psychology and volunteered at a Fairview hospital.

What is your favorite UMN resource to recommend to your peers?

One of Rucha’s favorite resources is the UMN libraries. Textbooks and other materials for classes can get really expensive and sometimes the libraries will carry copies or you can request material using an interlibrary loan. You can also chat with a librarian 24/7 and they can help you with any project or question you’re working on. If you try chatting at midnight, you might end up talking to a librarian from California!

What are your favorite topics in psychology to study?

Rucha is passionate about addressing health disparities and so is particularly interested in mental health and access needs of minority groups (racial & ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA +, etc.). To this end, one of her favorite topics or courses was PSY 3301 Introduction to Cultural Psychology, which starts to address some of these issues.

How might students benefit from meeting with a peer advisor?

As a student, Rucha understands how overwhelming college can get and she strives to provide a welcoming environment. She meets with students to declare majors, plan coursework, and explore engagement opportunities. She helps connect students with resources. (She has personal experience using a lot of these resources!) Her favorite part of being a peer advisor is meeting with students to help them get the most out of their time as undergrads at the U.