On this episode of Listen to the Helpers, undergraduate student Kayla McClucas talks about her hopes of entering a helping profession, and shares practical tips for being a helper to yourself.
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Sarah Goehring: Welcome back to Listen to the Helpers, a podcast created by the Fred Rogers Institute to elevate the voices of helpers everywhere. Fred Rogers once said, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." Today, we're joined by Kayla McClucas, an undergraduate student at St. Vincent College and a student in our Fred Rogers Scholars program at the Fred Rogers Institute. At the end of the episode, stay tuned as Kenzee and I reflect on our discussion with Kayla in the context of Fred Rogers legacy and our own work at the Fred Rogers Institute.
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Sarah: Welcome, Kayla. We're so happy to have you on this episode of Listen to the Helpers. Um, we are fortunate enough to have you as one of our students in the Fred Rogers Scholars program and you are currently pursuing your undergraduate degree at St. Vincent College. So, to start off, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? Tell us um, you know, who you are, where you're from, what year you are, and what you're studying at St. Vincent.
Kayla McClucas: Yeah. Hi everyone. I'm Kayla McClucas. I'm from Berlin, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour south from St. Vincent College. Um, I'm currently studying psychology. I have an addiction specialist certificate and a minor in biological psychology. Um, as Sarah said, I am a Fred Rogers Scholar and I also do work at the institute in the Incubator 143 Lab.
Sarah: That's awesome. Yeah, we know you're you're very active in the St.Vincent community not only with us but um in other areas and your major keeps you very busy we know um what do you hope to do postgraduation with that psychology major and addiction specialist um area and it's okay if you change your mind postgraduation but as of right now, what are your hopes?
Kayla: Yeah so actually throughout like working with the kids and the opportunities that I've gotten by being a Scholar um I'm actually hoping to go to a PhD program and get my PhD in clinical pediatric neuropsychology, which I know is a lot of big words, but it's pretty much just being able to work with children with maybe like brain diseases, brain disorders, or even like brain damage.
Sarah: Wow, that's such important work. And that's so that's so interesting that that's the field that's the path that you want to follow um postgraduation. and we're so excited for you and we're excited to, you know, see how that goes after graduation because I'm sure it's going to be a lot of hard work but well worth it in the end. And you mentioned that um yeah, you mentioned that some of your experiences in the scholars kind of led you to that path. Um can you tell us a little bit more about your experience as a scholar so far?
Kayla: Yeah. So, one of the service projects that we have to do as a scholar, and we have choices, but I always chose to go to Latrobe Elementary School and volunteer with their Friendship Group. And I just got to interact with so many kids coming from so many different backgrounds and struggling with so many different things that this group you could really see the improvement and the impact that we made even if it was just one hour a week. So, prior to that, I didn't have a care in the world about a kid. I've grown up. I didn't really have interactions with kids. But putting myself in that situation made me interact with these kids and it made me realize that there are bigger problems out there than a test that I have at college.
Kenzee Knott: No, that's absolutely amazing, Kayla. Um, so it is kind of related to both, you know, your time in the scholars and your career, but like what made you want to go into like, you know, psychology and wanting to be like a clinical pediatric psychologist? Did I say that correctly?
Kayla: Yeah. Um, so when I was in high school, I actually had no idea what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a nurse until I realized that I can't stand the sight of blood. So the next most rational idea was if I wanted to work with people and make an impact, it would be psychology. So I chose it just to like try it out and I absolutely fell in love with it. Um because I don't have to deal with all the blood and the gore, but I still get to make such a big impact in somebody's day.
Kenzee: That's great. Is there like So based off of your studies at St. Vincent, do you have like a favorite like class um that will like go into your career? I guess
Kayla: I'm currently in “Addictive Behaviors” right now. Um so it is super interesting to see how like the brain, different brain areas are correlated with different areas of addiction which is super interesting which I don't know how that'll help me in the future yet but I love the class.
Kenzee: That's amazing. Um so I already asked you what inspired you to go into your career. What inspired you to join the scholars?
Kayla: Yeah, honestly I seen the opportunity and I dove into more research about it and it was just like a connection to my childhood. Um, so I was adopted by my grandparents and we would always go to Idlewild together and we would ride on the train and go through the whole neighborhood of like Fred Rogers and everything and it was just such a nostalgic connection that I had to be part of it. Um because it brought me so much joy um just even like reading about it. So if I could be part of it and then bring that joy to other people through what we do, that was like a no-brainer for me.
Sarah: That's so wonderful to hear. You have been a Fred Rogers Scholar since you were a freshman. Some of our students join like partway through their experience at St. Vincent, but I know that you've been with us in the scholar program all your time at St. Vincent. So, um it's been really fun on our end to like see you get more involved and see you grow. Um and it's so wonderful to hear that your participation in the scholars program has kind of inspired and shaped the path that you want to take next when when you inevitably leave the scholars, but not really leave because you're always going to be part of the Fred Rogers Scholars family, of course.
Kayal: Oh my goodness. Yes. My favorite thing around college is to say that I'm a Fred Rogers scholar. And everybody's like, how can I be that? And I was like, well, applications are not open, but I can send it to you next year. That's one of my favorite things to tell people that I do on campus.
Sarah: Oh, that's so that's so wonderful to hear for us. That makes me happy. Um, I know that we, you know, internally have asked you this before. This is one of the questions that we've had to ask you when you interviewed to be a part of the Fred Rogers Scholars program, but um you know we talk about helpers a lot in the work of extending Fred's legacy. Um and you are going down a path of a helping career, helping profession. So we'd love to know a little bit about what you think it means to be a helper.
Kayla: Yeah, I think being a helper is being adaptive. I think that you never know what hat or what shoes you're gonna have to wear that day. And I think that there are so many options for helping throughout your day because you don't know what another person's going through. You could simply hold the door for somebody and that could help them have a better day. You could compliment somebody and say that their hair looks nice or their outfit looks nice and that might help them reassure themselves that yeah, I may have got up late but I still have myself together. Or it could be simple and more straightforward as like legitimately helping somebody like maybe helping a professor organize their office. But I think the big thing about being a helper for me is being adaptive.
Sarah: I love that you said something small like telling somebody that their hair looks nice or even just a small little small little act of kindness can go a really long way. I feel like that's something that I try to remind myself often when I'm just, you know, out and about and interacting with people, even if it's like really short and small interactions with people. I've tried to think about like, has anybody been kind to this person today? Like maybe I can be that person and maybe I'm just one of many people that are kind to them that day. And that's great, too.
Kenzee: I agree. I just came back from a trip and I was delayed in Nashville for a few hours and everybody was miserable like totally obviously cuz you're stuck in an airport longer than you need to be. And the flight attendant when they told us um or I guess the person attached to Southwest was like, "Okay, everybody, our flight is coming. We're all good." And we're all like, "Okay." And then she goes, "No, I need to actually hear you all physically cheer." So, we all took a moment to physically cheer that our flight was coming. Um, and even just like that small moment of like kindness and being like a I don't know, kind of like an indirect helper in that way of like, okay, well, I know that they're all miserable, but just giving them just a little bit of joy was super helpful. That totally make sense, Kayla, for sure. Um, okay. So, in relation to the question that just Sarah just asked, um, do you have a moment both as a scholar or even just as a person where you, you know, were a helper? Like I know you talked a little bit about it, but is there another moment in your life where you were a helper and you got to see the joy that that brought to someone else?
Kayla: Yeah. So, it's not the best story. It's a little emotional, but my stepmom actually just got divorced and she has four kids that she has to raise. I wasn't always close with my younger siblings, but because of helping her out and being that person that's there for her, whether it's babysitting, and I'm hours away, but making that communication, making that time, and making that effort, is also a big part of being a helper. So, she is getting the benefits of having some help with her kids and everything, but I'm also getting the benefit of spending more time with my little siblings who need a role model and who need that little spark of light in their life. It's just so happy whenever I see them and they come running and they call me KK um and they just jump on me and all they want is love. So being able to be that person and being able to help out my stepmom is really one of the biggest moments that reminds me of why I help people.
Sarah: I feel like that sounds like such a big responsibility that you've taken on to be a helper in that situation because you're helping, you are an adult, but you're helping kind of like the adult in this situation. And um I feel like that's really great that you are able to do that and that you feel like you're able to do that and that you're seeing, you know, the joy that it's bringing people and just the help that it's bringing people.
Kenzee: Yeah. And we're biased because obviously we spend a lot of time with you, but you're just such an amazing person, Kayla.
Kayla: Thanks. But I think I'll just mention one more thing like cuz you said that I get to see the rewards of helping. And I guess I just wanted to tell people that even if you don't see the direct rewards of helping, don't stop helping people. Um, just change the mindset. If you're getting worn out, just say, "I'm going to take the day and help myself." because you can absolutely help yourself and that's still helping. So, I just wanted to tell people that like even if you don't see the benefits, don't stop helping.
Sarah: That's so important. I'm so glad you said that and I'm so glad that you mentioned helping yourself. We talk a lot about the six fundamentals of learning and growing in our work and one of them is self-worth. And you saying help yourself is like making me think about all of the things we do around the idea of a sense of selfworth. I'm wondering, you know, this is kind of offscript for us, but I'm wondering like what does that mean to you to help yourself? Like what does that look like in your life as a college student who's preparing to go into this really intense helping profession of clinical pediatric psychology?
Kayla: Um, I am a psych major, so I'm a little biased, but I love a good relaxation period. Um, I didn't realize until I did self-reflection. So that's like step one for me, self-reflection. Realize I'm going too fast, I'm overworking myself, I'm getting drained. Step two is that I find a solution. Whether that's getting a smoothie, doing something I enjoy, but I recently have been sitting down, laying in my bed. You don't have to sit in a chair to read a book. You can lay down. And I've been just reading a good book before bed, which is how I help myself.
Sarah: That's good. I'm so glad that you have like a plan in place. I love that you said it as like step one, step two. Like you can tell that you've really thought about this and that you're doing it because it's hard for a lot of people to take that time to help themselves and to figure out how and what they need.
Kayla: Yeah. And I feel like most people may not realize that they need help. Even if it's just like taking a breath, that can help too until it's almost past the point of too late. I know that my freshman year I would get burned out so much and then like through talking with my professors, through talking with like my therapists or my friends and even my family, I've realized that I do have to have those steps for myself. Some people can go more with the flow, but I have to have those steps.
Kenzee: Yeah, that's super important. I feel like for the general public to hear, but especially college kids because they're probably the for the first time getting like high school is completely different than college and getting used to the swing of things and there really is no stopping point for a college kid. They just feel like they have to be on all the time. Um, so like that's super important that you talked about that for sure. Um, I'm going to kind of segue back into your, you know, future career a little bit and even like psychology in general, but is there something you wish people knew about that field that they may not know?
Kayla: Um, I feel like there's a lot of stigma within the psychology field. I won't get into that whole can of worms, but I just wish that people realize that we're not there to judge them. We're here to help. And in fact, that we actually have most of the problems that they have, too. Um, so that's one thing that I wish people understood. But I think baseline talking about helping, which just happens to be a coincidence, is that we're there to help any way, shape, or form. Whether it's a text message, a phone call, an actual face to face visit. At the end of the day, we're there to help them in any way that they need.
Sarah: That's so important, and I'm so glad that you said that. I'm sure that others in the psychology field, whether they're working with people who are young, old, anywhere in between, I'm sure that other people in the psych field in general can resonate with that feeling of we're we're just here to help. That's all we want to do. So, as we kind of wrap up our conversation together, are there any final thoughts that you'd like to share with our listeners of today's episode?
Kayla: Um, I want to talk about my trip to Brazil just briefly because that was one of, if not the biggest helper moment in my life. Um, so I was able to go to Brazil over this past summer and help out with the children there. And I took like little gifts for them and they were just like my old like stuffed animals. If anybody's familiar with the Squish Malo, I'm addicted to them. Um, but I just took a whole backpack full of like the little ones. They're like this big. And I gave them to the kids. And I was like, I didn't realize that something that I didn't view as not helpful for me was helpful to somebody else because that made probably this whole kid’s week. And that was one of the biggest impact moments of my life was that even though it wasn't helping me, it can help somebody else. Mhm.
Sarah: That's so thoughtful that you even thought to bring on just like a on a school sponsored trip and you have all of these other things to pack and make sure that you check all your boxes of getting whatever arrangements you need to get settled and then you took a moment to say, "Oh, wait. I'm going to bring these too because I think they might spread a little bit of joy. They might, I don't know, have a have an impact on the connections that I'm going to make with these kids over there." So that that's really really inspiring that you really took a moment to think about them before you even met them.
Kayla: Yes. And I would love to go back and meet them again. It was amazing.
Sarah: Well, we're so thankful that you were able to join us on today's episode. We're thankful for all that you do as part of the Fred Rogers Scholars as a work study with the Fred Rogers Institute in the Incubator 143 Lab. Um, we're just thankful to know you and thank you so much for your time and yeah, thank you Kayla.
Kayla: Thanks for inviting me.
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Kenzee: That was an amazing conversation with Kayla. Is there anything that stuck out to you in particular? Like I know for me like I need to try some of her like tips of self-reflection for sure.
Sarah: Nice. I'm so glad that she framed it. I know I said this to her, but I'm so glad she framed it as like a step one I do this, step two, I do this. Because in my brain, I know some people's minds don't work that way, but my brain is very like step by step. I like to-do lists. I like that's why I sometimes have a hard time with taking care of myself because that's not on my to-do list often times. So that like step by step feels like, oh wait, if I frame it like that, I can actually do that. if it's if self-worth is something that I can work to accomplish, that's that that makes sense in my brain. So, I I like kind of the reframing it and framing it in a way that works for me. I think it can look different for everyone, but I that was that was interesting.
Kenzee: Yeah, I think the reframing of it too will definitely help people in caring professions, especially those who are like “on” all the time. Like I said, I know I talked about college kids in particular, but even like nurses or people who work very long shifts at a time, like they also don't have time for selfworth and it's probably in the back of their brains, but to kind of itemize it like that, it I think it's really going to make a difference.
Sarah: Yeah. And Kayla said that when she was, you know, new into college life, she was feeling like she was getting burnt out because it was s such a big transition, so new and different from high school or anything before. Um, but yeah, like you said, everyone in a helping in a helping profession likely has experienced some level of burnout because of the nature of being a helper. And you know, at the Fred Rogers Institute, we do some work around um talking with helpers and educators around compassion fatigue. But that was on my mind when when she was talking about that idea of burnout and how it's so hard to not get burnt out when your whole livelihood is about giving of yourselves. And how do you not experience that compassion fatigue when you're just you're caring and caring and caring? And it's because, you know, those people want to go into those fields, but that's hard to care about people so deeply so often.
Kenzee: Yeah. My favorite advice that I've ever received is from our director, Emma, or at least I originally heard this from Emma. And it's the concept of like juggling plastic balls versus glass balls. Like obviously like all of the plastic or things that you can drop for now and pick up like you might skip a week of doing laundry or you know something small like that or hanging out with a friend because you're running out of time but to keep an eye on those glass balls that are super important that need to happen like you probably need to keeping up with your hygiene or something like that. Um, so that always helps when I'm feeling a little burnt out of considering like, okay, what can I avoid for now, but come back to later and it'll be okay. Um, and sending a friend that text message says like, I love you, but I do not have time to go out with you, but I'm going to make it an effort next week. Something along those lines have been like super helpful for me at least.
Sarah: And I was just we you know we have through the institute we have these family connection groups that we've been running um lately and the group of moms that I've been meeting with for the past couple of weeks so far. Our last meeting we were talking about the idea of a sense of selfworth and somebody said saying no to something means saying yes to something else. And that was like oh my gosh like that's so true. I have a really hard time saying no to things and I don't want to feel like I'm letting anybody down. I don't want to feel like I'm like being flaky if I say yes and then I have to say no. I'll just do it anyway. I'll just do everything and then I get overwhelmed and then it's like, oh, I'm not taking care of myself anymore because I'm giving too much. I don't have anything left to give. But thinking about it as that saying no means saying yes to something else. That that was that was really really good advice for me to hear. and and good timing for me to hear it, too. So, I I really loved that advice that I've gotten around that idea of kind of burnout or compassion fatigue or anything along those lines.
Kenzee: No, that is another good one. I'm going to have to take that one, too.
Sarah: Yeah. Do you think I know we talked a lot about sense of self-worth with Kayla, but from everything else that Kayla was talking about, um, did any of the other fundamentals of learning and growing kind of come to your mind in that conversation?
Kenzee: Um honestly kind of indirectly I think of trust especially with being a clinical pediatric psychologist that's a that's a definite helper. you know, they are direct helpers, but they may come across children that have a rough history with trust and they may not trust the adults around them and they might need a little bit of help and just knowing that someone like that is there to help them and hear them out and be that support for them. Um, so I guess trust in that sense. What about you?
Sarah: No, I would agree with that. I think trust is and is going to be a main component of the work that Kayla wants to do. Um, I feel like, yeah, I feel like a sense of self worth and trust were really, really big ones for that conversation. Um, I almost feel like too curiosity was a little bit of one that came to my mind when she was talking about, you know, why she wants to do what she wants to do. I feel like there's an element of curiosity when you're building that trust with a child or an adult or whether it's somebody you're working with or working for and just wanting to genuinely know more about the person that you're interacting with and um just truly coming from a place of care. Like I genuinely am curious about you because I want to know you as a person. I feel like um I'm hopeful and um I'm convinced that Kayla will be that kind of helper. She already is, but that she will be in her future profession that she will treat each person like the special individual that they are.
Kenzee: Yep. Again, we are biased, but Kayla, we spend a lot of time with Kayla and we know that she's already an amazing helper. So, we can't wait to see what she does in the future.
Sarah: Yes. and we'll have to have her back on a future episode after she graduates to hear what it's like um when she's actually in the day-to-day of her helping profession.
Kenzee: Yep. Thank you again, Kayla, for joining us on Listen to the Helpers.
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