Jourdan Cruz ('12) Psychology Major

Portrait of Jourdan Cruz, Psychology Department Alumni 2012

During his time at Gonzaga, Jourdan was a research assistant and lab manager for Dr. Bartlett, and research assistant to Dr. Nelson. He excelled at asking pointless questions all of the time, and "redecorating" Dr. Bartlett's office with sticky notes.

Jourdan provides psychoeducation and counseling to the caregivers of Veterans with dementia.

After graduating from GU in 2012, he went to Oxford University to read for a Master's of Science in Psychological Research. While there, his studies focused on the neural and behavioral substrates of compassion. Following this, Jourdan moved on to, and recently graduated from, the University of Pennsylvania with a master's degree in social work. While there, he specialized in geriatrics and Veterans' mental health, and continued working on research projects examining clinical and physiological facets of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Currently, he is serving as a clinician on a research study at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia. Jourdan provides psychoeducation and counseling to the caregivers of Veterans with dementia. In this role as a Licensed Social Worker, he is able to connect veterans and their families to much needed resources.