Psychology major Cara Miles ’25 capped off a whirlwind four years at Berry College by taking home the Martha Berry Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement Award. This recognition goes to an engaged student who lives true to Berry’s education of the “head, heart and hands.” That is, development of intellect, character and practical skills through meaningful work. Four months later, she joined McKinsey & Company as a business insight fellow while pursuing a master’s in human resources management at Penn State.
“Being chosen from a class of so many deserving people, I teared up,” says Cara.
“I came to Berry not knowing I could afford college,” she adds. But she managed to financially support herself through a combination of academic scholarships and work opportunities.
“When it came time to choose a major, I wanted to select a field where I could make a meaningful impact, and psychology felt like the perfect fit,” Cara says.
Campus work and leadership positions led the way to real-world opportunities. As the student communications director of the Lettie Pate Scholars program, she sharpened digital design skills and social media management. As the student supervisor in the psychology department, Cara oversaw office operations, managed administrative tasks and supported faculty and students.
An internship with Floyd County Social Services allowed training across child welfare, protective services, family preservation and foster care/adoptions. Cara found her style as a leader who values communication, organization and a supportive approach.
Cara’s next stop was Amazon where she jumped in as a human resources partner intern in San Francisco. “I loved applying Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Two of my favorites were earn trust as well as dive deep,” she explains. “It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, as this was the furthest and longest I have been from home.”
Powerful mentoring by Assistant Professor of Psychology Kuo Deng took Cara to the next level. “At the American Psychological Association, I showcased our poster on using explainable AI to retrieve past cases for psychotherapy training, an interdisciplinary approach that bridges psychology and technology,” she notes. “I also assisted in facilitating a conversation about the grief process among college students.”
The pair traveled to Boston, where they shared research funded through a George Scholar undergraduate grant on intercultural relationships. Their work explored the lived experiences and the impact of racism on intercultural couples.
“I must credit Dr. Kuo Deng for being such a constant mentor throughout my research development at Berry,” Cara says. “Her guidance and mentorship have been instrumental, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow beside her.”
At Berry, Cara discovered her passion for understanding human behavior and applying psychological principles to create meaningful impact in organizational settings. She’s interested in the ways psychology and human resources intersect — “where data-driven strategies, empathy and leadership converge to enhance employee experience and organization success.”
Most of all, she found her place in the world by leaning in to all that Berry offers. Whether psychology majors choose human resources, counseling, data-driven research or applied behavior analysis, she offers this advice: “Don’t become obsessed with the end goal. You'll make the mistake of missing the lessons and taking for granted the people who make the journey beautiful. Berry gives you the place to become the best person you can be and provides you with the opportunities to become your own success.”
