{"id":212736,"date":"2025-05-06T15:34:41","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T19:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/?p=212736"},"modified":"2025-05-06T15:36:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T19:36:33","slug":"blending-medicine-and-mental-health-with-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/2025\/05\/06\/blending-medicine-and-mental-health-with-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Blending Medicine and Mental Health with Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cole Vitelli didn\u2019t have one pivotal moment that drew him to combine Psychology<\/a> and medicine\u2014his passion for both simply grew over time. \u201cPsychology was always my favorite subject, and I\u2019ve always been a big advocate for mental health,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I thought about how I wanted to help others, psychiatry and neurology were the only answers that made sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Montclair, Cole\u2019s experience was shaped by a commitment to cultural understanding, service and compassion. A standout moment was his Health and Healing: Cross Cultural Perspectives (ANTH 180<\/a>) course, which deepened his appreciation for the role culture plays in health and medicine. \u201cAs a future physician, I know how important it is to understand and respect different beliefs and practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Psychology major in the Pre-Medical program<\/a> with a minor in chemistry, Cole\u2019s academic life was matched by deep engagement beyond the classroom. A member of both the Honors Program and the Presidential Scholars Program, he maintained a 3.94 GPA and made the Dean\u2019s List every semester. As a research assistant in Dr. Milton Fuentes<\/a>\u2019 SCORE Lab, he learned the ethical and multicultural foundations of research, growing into what he calls \u201ca confident researcher and culturally competent individual.\u201d His mentorship by Dr. Fuentes and by Casey Coleman<\/a> in the Center for Student Involvement were defining experiences\u2014teaching him not only professionalism and leadership, but the value of compassionate support. \u201cAs a queer student, it means the world to have someone like Casey\u2014someone I can truly see myself in,\u201d Cole says.<\/p>\n

He poured that same belief into his own community. Cole served as Artistic Director of Players, a programming board of the SGA, Chief of Staff for the SGA, Chair of Finance, and Communications Chair for the MSU Honors Student Advisory Board. He also worked as an Event Manager in the Center for Student Involvement, led CHSS Fellows sessions, and mentored new students as both an Orientation Leader and Mentor.<\/p>\n

In Players, Cole combined his passion for the arts with lessons learned through his coursework and research. His leadership earned him the 2023\u201324 Outstanding Student Leadership Award\u2014a proud milestone that reflects the impact of his work on the campus community. \u201cI gained a sense of purpose and realized how truly important community and striving to support community issues truly is.\u201d<\/p>\n

A dedicated performer and playwright, Cole has written and directed four full-scale musicals and dance shows while maintaining his pre-medical studies. \u201cBeing pre-med doesn\u2019t mean you have to sacrifice your passions,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m proof you can do both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Post-graduation, Cole will work full-time as a medical scribe at an ophthalmic practice while preparing to enter medical school in Fall 2026. \u201cMontclair gave me more than an education,\u201d he says. \u201cIt gave me the confidence to see what I\u2019m capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n

His advice for new students? \u201cBe 100% yourself\u2026 It’s important to bring all of who you are, so you can learn your strengths and weaknesses and build upon them much faster than if you hid yourself. This is only four years, so live those four years as someone you know, love, and are proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Cole, success isn\u2019t just about accolades. \u201cIt\u2019s a feeling. The joy found along the way is what really propels you forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ready to Start Your Montclair Journey?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Prospective Students and Parents:<\/strong> Learn more about Montclair admissions<\/a>, our Psychology major<\/a> and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graduate Spotlight: Honors student Cole Vitelli proves you don\u2019t have to choose between science and self-expression\u2014at Montclair, he found space to pursue both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":212739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,15,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-212736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-7_homepage-news-and-events","category-268_psychology","category-student-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212736"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212754,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212736\/revisions\/212754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}