Adult Track Ambassadors

Alice Aldoukhov

2nd Year | PsyD Program | Adult Track

Email: aaldoukhov@pacificu.edu 

Undergraduate Institution | Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY

Hometown | Sacramento, CA

Why I chose Pacific | I chose Pacific University because of its comprehensive PsyD program and wonderful location. I wanted to be on the West Coast again and Portland has a lot of amazing practicum sites and a wonderful network of professionals. I felt like my education here could make me a competitive candidate for internships and postdoc positions as well as giving me the opportunity to get experience with assessment and teaching.

Favorite PsyD course | Clinical Foundations II: I really enjoyed this course and the accompanying lab because it allowed me to actually begin practicing basic clinical skills and get feedback on my performance. It helped me tremendously in preparing for my first practicum experience.

Hobbies | I love reading and I spend a lot of my free time listening to audiobooks while I walk. I enjoy being outdoors and discovering new places, particularly parks and coffee shops. 


Samantha Bryan

2nd Year | PsyD Program | Adult Track

Emailbrya3773@pacificu.edu

Undergraduate Institution | University of South Florida

Hometown | Coral Springs, Florida 

Why I chose Pacific | I chose Pacific University because of their practitioner-scholar training model as well as the clinical experiences involving college counseling and emerging adults in the Adult track. Another factor was the generalist training I would receive, and the opportunity to provide therapy at Pacific's in-house clinic. I have a variety of clinical and research interests outside of collegiate mental health and love Pacific's goals to work with diverse and marginalized populations. Some of my research and clinical interests include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and more, and I felt that Pacific's training and education best reflected these interests out of the programs I had applied to. Additionally, I attended Pacific for my MA in Applied Psychological Science, and I have come to realize that I love the PNW area and would like to, eventually, open my own private practice and provide mental health services to the BIPOC and LBTQ+ communities in the Portland-Hillsboro area. 

Favorite PsyD course | Human Sexuality and its' Clinical Implications. I was able to take this course the previous semester and enjoyed learning more about human sexuality and all it entailed, and delving into the clinical implications of such. Our lecture had been primarily online and focused on discussions about intersectionality, gender/sexuality spectrums, setting boundaries and healthy communication, how to have conversations with clients about such topics, and so much more. As someone who identifies within the LGBTQ+ community, I truly appreciated the open dialogue we would have in class about our own experiences with our sexuality, gender, and more, and some conversations around sexuality experienced in our clinical work. I would always love attending lectures, and always learned something new about human sexuality that I hadn't learned in my undergrad course. This course also provided a challenge to me and my peers to critically think and examine our own personal biases and stereotypes, and begin work to dismantle those. Due to these reasons, I believe this course allowed me the opportunity to strengthen my knowledge and understanding of human sexuality and have me grow to be a better clinician. 

Hobbies | I will admit that I am a big nerd, so I enjoy reading, writing, binge-watching shows on Netflix, Hulu, VRV, and other streaming apps, and playing video games, such as Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. I have also gotten into cooking, so I have enjoyed researching new recipes to make. I love to explore the Portland metro-area with my friends and peers from my cohort as well as find new restaurants and bars to try out. It has taken some time to get used to the weather, but I have started to enjoy small hikes. I've been a city girl for most of my life, so outdoor activities will take some time to get used to. However, I found that I do enjoy cliff diving/jumping during the summer! 


Rhett Flandro

2nd Year | PsyD Program | Adult Track

Email | flan0229@pacificu.edu

Undergraduate Institution | Utah State University & Southern Utah University

Hometown | Logan, UT

Why I chose Pacific |For me, location had a lot to do with it. I am a small-town guy and wanted those small-town vibes. Pacific’s graduate building is in Hillsboro which is 30 minutes away from Portland if you want to be surrounded by buildings. It is also 15 minutes from open fields and an hour away from the beach. I also liked their success rate in getting students into practicum sites and internships. It’s so nice to know that as long as I put in the work and follow the program curriculum, I will be competitive enough to get into a placement that will help me be a better clinician in an area that is important to me!

Favorite PsyD Course | Clinical Foundations I. It was with a lot of members of my cohort and was a great place to get to know each other. It was a class used to get us used to the DSM-5 and the different criteria that need to be met for each diagnosis. There was a lot of space for discussion and made the DSM-5 feel a bit less overwhelming. I look back to my notes from that class frequently when I have questions about certain diagnoses.

Hobbies | Haha I have a one-year-old daughter that keeps my wife and me busy most of the time. When I am not hanging out with my family, I take time to play hockey at one of the two ice rinks in the area. There are also so many golf courses around campus that make it easy to get in 9-holes or just spend some time at the driving range. I try to hit the gym 3-4 times per week to keep my body and mind working right, too. If I don’t want to go anywhere, I spend my time in the kitchen. I always tell my wife that when we have our lives figured out, I want to go to culinary school and I’ll cook every day! Whether that happens or not is a mystery but I loooove cooking and learning about food.


Zachary Hawley

2nd Year | PsyD Program | Adult Track

Email | hawl0565@pacificu.edu

Undergraduate Institution | Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Hometown | Dayton, NV

Why I chose Pacific | I chose Pacific University due its beautiful geographic location and its track on hands-on learning. This along with Pacific University’s impressive internship match rate along with a high EPPP pass rate, choosing Pacific was a no-brainer! So far it has been clear to me that our instructors are committed to a thorough exploration of our field and seem to truly enjoy passing on knowledge to their future colleagues. Portland is conveniently settled between two of my favorite hobbies: skiing and hiking at the beach! While exploring the PNW, here you get to experience both the mountains and the sea!

Favorite PsyD Course | Neuropsychological Assessment. Although this was not a required course for my track, this course truly reshaped the way in which I conceptualized human behaviors and emotions. It felt empowering to begin to learn neurobiological underpinnings of psychological principles and actively put my knowledge to the test while learning to interpret the assessments.

Hobbies | I enjoy hiking along the PNW mountain ranges and peaks along with skiing on them when they are covered in snow! I love working on old cars and motorcycles as well as taking trips in them. I have two Australian Shepards who love making messes and exploring the woods with me when hiking. I am lucky enough to live next to a wonderful farmer’s market that my fiancé and I enjoy most Saturdays during the summer.


Maegen Martin

1st Year | PsyD Program | Adult Track

Email: mart5549@pacificu.edu

Undergraduate Institution | Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA

Hometown | Waipahu, HI

Why I chose Pacific | I chose Pacific University because of the different emphases offered, which allow students to focus on a specific area of expertise to tailor their clinical experiences. I am interested in working with high school and college student-athletes and as a student in the Adult Emphasis, I have the opportunity to work with the guidance of a Sport Psychologist throughout my five years here. I have the privilege of working with clients in this population while also broadening my skills working with more diverse populations through practicum and internship. I also chose Pacific because of the supportive envrionment it caputres from the knowledgeable faculty and staff to the small and welcoming student cohorts. Oregon has become my home away from home, and what better place to be than in the PNW!

Favorite PsyD course | Clinical Foundations. A course taken throughout your first year in the program, Clinical foundations sets the fundamentals of clinical skills used in therapy, providing the opportunity to practice and apply these skills in triads during class. This class also dives into the DSM, allowing students to familiarize themselves with the different diagnoses and signs to look for when diagnosing clients. It gives us the chance to work through vingettes and collaborate with our peers to talk through different scenarios of types of clients and diagnoses. I've enjoyed working with my peers and gaining more insight about the DSM in order to apply the basic clinical skills we've learned. 

Hobbies | As someone from Hawaii, I enjoy being outdoors. Going to the beach. Going on a hike. Having a picnic or barbeque at the park. You name it. Since moving to Oregon, I make the most of my down time taking my chocolate lab, Dash, out to near by parks. I also enjoy spending time with friends, either game nights at home, going out to Top Golf, or any other fun activities we think of. 


Deontae Massey Johnson

2nd Year | PsyD Program | Adult Track

Email | mass0252@pacificu.edu

Undergraduate Institution | Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR

Hometown | Las Vegas Nevada

Why I chose Pacific | As an alumnus of Pacific, I believed that pursing my education at the same school I have been a part of would be best. I was already familiar with the area as well as Pacific’s mission. Pacific’s PsyD program aligned with what I wanted as I progress in my academic journey as well as my future goal of becoming a Licensed Air Force Psychologist. Additionally, I admire Pacific’s commitment to providing a supportive and inclusive environment for everyone who joins their community. Their focus on fostering diversity contributes to a rich and valuable learning experience.

Favorite Course | Clinical Foundations I. This class allowed us to explore the benefits and challenges of the DSM-5. Additionally, this class laid out a foundation of the various diagnoses that are observed in the DSM-5.

Hobbies | My hobbies revolve around relaxing. As a way to relax and take a step away from academics, I enjoy playing video games (I am a call of duty and NBA 2k kind of guy), watching tv (I am currently invested in the Power universe), spending quality time with my cats, and enjoying various events/activities with my girlfriend and friends.