Lennon, Alyx

Interview date: November 28, 2015
Interviewee: Alyx Lennon
Interviewer/Transcriber: Samantha Gottlieb, Monmouth University Student

Alyx Lennon was born in Mineola, New York and was raised in Middletown, New Jersey. Her family moved because they wanted a bigger house and a better school district for her autistic younger sister. Both she and her sister were language delayed, with Ms. Lennon not talking until she was 3 years old. She needed to take special education classes in her early years at elementary school. In the later half she just needed aids and even that eventually ended.  

After high school she went to Brookdale Community College in Lincroft since she did not know what she wanted to do after college. For her first two years of college Ms. Lennon switched majors from Liberal Arts to Social Science until finally landing on Psychology. She picked this because she is fascinated by how the mind works. Once she got her Associates Degree, after 3 years, she transferred to Monmouth University to further her education. Both schools were chosen in part because they are a short driving distance from her house. 

There are many differences between Monmouth University and Brookdale Community College, according to Ms. Lennon. When at Brookdale, she would go to class and then go home, while at Monmouth she goes to on campus events and is part of the Psychology Club and the Transfer Student Connection Club. Besides the Haunted Theater, Ms. Lennon did not go to any of the campus events at Brookdale. She is also taking more classes per semester. At Brookdale, a class usually happens once a week, while Monmouth usually has one class held twice a week. Monmouth is also much bigger with more challenging classes. The Monmouth campus also has better places to hang out between classes. The libraries are also different, with Monmouth being much bigger and being part of the book exchange program. Monmouth also has more places to eat, and although the quality of the food is the same between the two colleges, Monmouth has a wider variety of food. Ms. Lennon felt Brookdale focused more on grades while Monmouth goes further and looks at future careers. Another minor difference is that Monmouth has dorms while Brookdale does not.  

The transition from Brookdale to Monmouth has not been easy for Ms. Lennon. This is the case because of how different things are. The classes are harder than she is used to, but things have gotten easier. The focus is different and it pushes you more. 

Ms. Lennon is not currently completely certain what specific field of psychology she wants to enter after college. She is currently leaning toward therapy or counseling. She recently got a part time job that lines up pretty well with her interests. She works at a place called Oasis TLC where she helps autistic people learn job and social skills. Ms. Lennon is mainly a substitute for when full time employees cannot make it to work. Her schedule is pretty flexible and is not completely set because she is a full time student. She previously volunteered at Oasis TLC over the summer so knows the job well by now.