A Georgetown University psychology graduate was awarded the University of Cambridge’s prestigious postgraduate research scholarship, the university announced April 6.
Rafi Freund (CAS ’23), who graduated from Georgetown’s psychology department, was awarded the opportunity to pursue graduate studies at Cambridge, marking a significant achievement for the university’s psychology department. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship, one of the world’s most competitive international fellowships, is awarded to approximately 25 students in the United States.
Freund said his path to the psychology major was unconventional.
“I came to Georgetown thinking that I would study government and go to law school, but I quickly found that it was my psychology classes that I enjoyed the most,” Freund wrote to The Hoya. “I never lost my interests in law and justice, and I managed to carve out a niche in justice-oriented work that utilizes the techniques of social science research.”
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of study and research in any subject at the University of Cambridge, alongside additional discretionary funding. Freund said he plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program in criminology.
Jennifer Woolard, a psychology professor who taught Freund, said she hopes the award encourages psychology students to engage with social science research that is applicable to the legal system.
“I hope that students interested in psychology, law and policy will see that our department is a terrific place to gain experience in theory, method and application,” Woolard wrote to The Hoya. “I also hope they see how different areas of psychology can integrate into really interesting experimental research.”
“Rafi combined what he learned in research methods, psychology & the legal system and cultural psychology to design his honors thesis,” she added. “And he truly came up with the ideas as we refined them through many conversations.”
Oded Meyer, professor of “Probability and Statistics” whom Freund worked for as a teaching assistant for around three years, said he was not surprised by Freund’s achievement.
“As a person, he really contributed to the educational mission of Georgetown and above anything else, everyone should be proud of a student like that,” Meyer told The Hoya. “Obviously, it is a very prestigious scholarship and hard to get, but it is a student like that that they are looking for.”
Meyer said Freund’s ability to help other students set him apart.
“What I really think distinguished Rafi was his attention and sensitivity to his students’ needs as learners,” Meyer said. “He was very good at that, which is not something I take for granted in a TA. He always paid attention to any kind of questions or mistakes students had.”
“I immediately felt like I was having a conversation with a colleague rather than just a student,” Meyer added. “There was so much depth of understanding and he could really understand where the student was struggling and where the misconception was. It was truly a joy to have him as a TA.”
Freund said the psychology major particularly gives students the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary research.
“Psychology is by nature a vast major,” Freund wrote. “People come into it wanting to do all sorts of different things. I hope that my experience is proof that people need not feel hemmed in by disciplinary boundaries.”
Brendan Hodgens (CAS ’28), a sophomore majoring in psychology, said the program allows students to explore the many facets of psychology.
“Everyone in my psychology classes are there for different reasons, but we are all genuinely interested in the field,” Hodgens told The Hoya. “I believe having a psychology background is almost like a springboard for so many different opportunities and each psychology class reflects the diversity that the department values so highly.”
“The field is a mile long and an inch deep,” Hodgens added. “I have learned the vastness of psychology and studying a major that is so broad has helped align with many of the other classes I have taken here at Georgetown and the experiences I have had.”
Woolard said she hopes Freund’s scholarship is both a testament to his hard work but also to the strength of the psychology department.
“I hope it also highlights how proud we are of our students and how much we appreciate them staying in touch with us once they graduate,” Woolard wrote.
“The knowledge, skills and abilities that students can develop in the psychology major can translate into a wide range of post-graduate plans,” Woolard added. “We’re very proud of our students!”
