Cochise Newsroom

Cochise College student Ella Southard says her time at the college has helped her discover who she is and where she wants to go next.  

 

Southard, a Social and Behavioral Sciences major said she has experienced significant personal growth since enrolling. “I’ve learned who I am as a person and I think this is a very good place to do that,” she said.   

  

Her interest in social and behavioral science began when she took a psychology class in high school. Since then, Southard knew that she wanted to be a psychologist. Thanks to that class, she has been fascinated by behavior, the human mind, and how people function. When it came time to attend college, she remembered what her father and her uncle experienced at Cochise College. Southard said, “They had a really great time and met a lot of cool professors that influenced who they are today. I wanted to see how I would be in that kind of community.”   

 

Southard describes the college as welcoming and supportive. “[Being here] really opened my eyes to [the fact that] life does not end after high school. People come here for many different reasons, whether they’re 40, or fresh out of high school.” According to her, Cochise College is a good environment for all kinds of learning.   

  

“[The people here] have been phenomenal, and the teachers were really open and welcoming,” she said. She feels that her classes thoroughly prepare her for university and her future career.   

  

Along with taking classes specific to her degree plan, she has been able to take other classes for personal fulfillment. Her favorite elective is ceramics. “I got to . . . just be more comfortable with myself as a person,” she said. Southard added that taking that class helped her overcome personal challenges and build meaningful new friendships.   

  

Southard said it’s important for people to have a good understanding of who they are and what they want. “Maybe people don’t want to move to a big school,” she said. “They can still [stay here] and accomplish a lot.” Students can take courses whether they want to pursue a degree, gain more knowledge, or just have fun with it. Southard believes any of those will benefit the student in some way.   

 

Southard feels that her time at Cochise College has helped her experience important life changes in a comfortable environment. She said, “[This kind of environment] helps you transition to adulthood without necessarily having someone hold your hand. This place opens up new paths.”   

  

After earning her associate degree, she plans to transfer to Arizona State University for a bachelor's degree in forensic psychology.   

 

For more information about the college’s program in Social & Behavioral Sciences visit www.cochise.edu/programs/social-behavioral-sciences.html 

 

About the author: This article was written by Sofia Snyder, a Liberal Arts student majoring in journalism. She currently serves as a Marketing and Communications intern at Cochise College and is set to graduate in December 2025.