Natasha Kostek (ASIJ 2004) @ New York,

Natasha joined the ASIJ community in 2000 and spent all four of her formative high school years there. Growing up as a first-generation Brazilian-American in a homogeneous Connecticut suburb, Natasha had often felt stymied. When she moved to Japan, she found home; she learned how to become a scholar and a world citizen. Reflecting back on her education at ASIJ, she feels privileged to have learned from such passionate teachers. Teachers who impacted her greatly are Javier Fernandez and Chaiken of Bio, with whom she is still in contact.  

Natasha’s experience as a third culture kid has guided many of her personal, professional, and academic decisions. It guided her to move to New York, one of the most heterogeneous metropolises in the United States; to jump at the opportunity live in Brazil as a finance headhunter covering the Latin American region, and to apply to her current doctoral program’s bilingual track to receive training in nondiscriminatory assessment and therapeutic practices.  

Natasha is presently a fourth-year doctoral School Psychology student at St. John’s University in Queens, NY, USA. Within this doctor of psychology (Psy.D.) program, her responsibilities have been multifaceted: coursework, teaching, clinical work, research, and leadership. The marriage of her doctoral training and multicultural background has reinforced her commitment to advocacy work and cultural sensitivity in the therapeutic context.  Natasha is passionate about mentoring high school and college-aged students and welcomes contact about pursuing training in the field of mental health. For targeted resources, see the Doctoral Application Resources folder located on her website: www.natashakostek.com/documents ​

Episode Summary