Meet Ganiat Davies '20 - Biology and Psychology

Providence, Rhode Island native and Curry College Junior Ganiat Davies was drawn to Curry because of its friendly faculty and small class sizes.

“I’ve always had good relationships with my teachers, so I wanted to be able to keep that going,” said Ganiat.

It’s also the Curry professors and advisors that she credits with helping her hone her academic interests. Ganiat attended a lecture at one of Curry’s Open House events and later took a class taught by Psychology Professor, Dr. Ann Marie Leonard-Zabel, which included case studies of her work with children. “She’s amazing,” Ganiat enthused.

When she started at Curry, Ganiat wanted to be a psychiatrist, so she decided to double major in Psychology and Biology. One of her favorite classes was Organic Chemistry with Dr. Marie Turner. “It (Organic Chemistry) is so difficult, but she made it easy for us to learn by the way she teaches. She’s so open, and that’s really helpful for the class.”

As she continued her studies at Curry, Ganiat realized she didn’t want to go to medical school after graduation and selected a different path for her academic focus.

“My advisor let me know that it’s okay to make a change, and that really helped me a lot,” said Ganiat. “Now, I’m on a track for a career in Public Health, and both of my majors are helpful in that field.”

Currently, Ganiat is looking for an internship working with people with behavioral health issues, specifically in her home state of Rhode Island. “Sometimes, people with mental and emotional difference can’t articulate as well as they would like to. I want to be aware of how to work with them, because they deserve to have a voice.”

Ganiat is also helping to be a voice for people of color on campus by being a Rise Up mentor. When students applying to Curry identify as African American, Asian, or Hispanic/Latino, they receive information about Rise Up and can be paired with a mentor through the program. As a group, Rise Up members also get together for activities. “We recently went to see the movie The Hate U Give for free in our own private theater. Afterward, we had dinner and talked about the movie and its impact on our society,” said Ganiat.

Collision Dynasty is another one of Ganiat’s passions. Designed to promote diversity and culture in the dance world within the Curry community, Collision Dynasty give students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to share their cultural dance backgrounds while learning about others. “Last year, we performed at one of the nearby elementary schools on Milton Day. People came up at the end, and we taught them a few moves as well. Collision Dynasty is just a good time!”

So, what’s Ganiat’s advice for students considering Curry?

“If you like a small school with a tight-knit community and people always willing to help each other, Curry is the place for you.”