Ballet, Indian dance, hip hop, reggaeton, netball, running, kickboxing, zumba – Ms. Jeevita Pillai has done them all.
And on the James Cook University (JCU) campus in Singapore, she realized she could combine her love of physical activity and her chosen profession of psychology into a fulfilling career. Today, Ms. Jeevita is a sports psychologist at the National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI), having completed her Bachelor of Psychology at JCU in 2015.
As a young girl, she was inspired by the resilience of her parents as they juggled multiple jobs, managed their health issues, and cared for them. “Growth and self-expression were important to me from a young age, and I’ve always been motivated to help and support people to become better versions of themselves,” she said. “Although I didn’t know which field of psychology I wanted to study, psychology appealed to me the most.”
When it came to choosing a university, she did her research and was impressed by the staff at JCU, who answered all of her questions in a friendly and open manner.
“It was also important to me that the degree be internationally recognized, as I’ve heard stories of people spending a lot of time and money at a university only to have problems with further education,” she added. JCU’s Bachelor of Psychological Science is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council.
A SEMESTER ABROAD
As part of her studies at JCU, Ms. Jeevita had the opportunity to participate in the Inter-Campus Mobility Program, which allows students to spend up to two semesters at JCU’s Townsville or Cairns campuses in Australia.
Her time in Cairns was life changing.
“I will always be grateful for the Inter-Campus Mobility Program that gave me the opportunity to study abroad,” she recalls. “Cairns was where I was first introduced to a sport psychology module and that’s exactly what I’m doing now. It was there that I gained my first experience in this field, as we had to meet and observe athletes for a job.”
She added: “It was like I finally found something that just clicked and made sense to me. I’ve always been curious about the mind and why people behave the way they do, but narrowing it down to athletes, physical activity, achievement and the constant urge to be a better version of yourself was just so aligned with who I am and how I am live my life.”
Ms. Jeevita also enjoyed learning about the Australian lifestyle and meeting students from different cultures and backgrounds, which contributed to her personal and professional growth: “The semester in Cairns encouraged me to adapt and work with different people. That’s why I’m such a proponent of living and studying abroad. There are just so many invaluable lessons and skills to learn.”
A PLATFORM TO MAKE MORE FROM DANCE
Ms. Jeevita’s role as a sports psychologist at NYSI includes supporting Singapore’s national youth athletes in their performance, well-being and long-term development. On a daily basis, she conducts customized one-to-one sessions, group workshops and research, such as a qualitative study on the transition from youth to senior sport in Singapore.
“I also work on a multidisciplinary team alongside sports nutritionists, strength and conditioning specialists, physical therapists, physiologists and performance analysts with the goal of helping young athletes reach their highest potential in their sporting endeavors,” she said.
In addition to her job, Ms. Jeevita has a successful side hustle, Afrowithjeevi. Her African dance fitness classes are inspired by her time in Cairns where she was exposed to the local African community and its upbeat mix of vibrant music, dance and culture.
Ms. Jeevita, who has nearly a decade of experience as a dance instructor, program director, and performer, received her first teaching platform at JCU, where she founded a Zumba fitness club.
“JCU has always encouraged students to explore activities beyond college and has not hesitated to support me in this,” she said. “JCU students started taking my classes, and we also started performing at JCU events. The platform JCU gave me to build a dance fitness community made me want to pursue it further, beyond JCU.”
Even her teachers supported her, with Dr. Aoife McLoughlin, supervisor of Ms. Jeevita’s honor thesis, worked with her to include Zumba fitness in their research study.
Ms. Jeevita explained, “We combined our two areas of expertise — time perception and Zumba fitness — to create a study that was eventually titled, “Exercise and Time Perception: An Investigation of the Effects of High-Intensity Cardio Exercise (Zumba) on the Human Timing” was released. We’ve stayed in touch over the years and she’s always open to a chat when I reach out, even up until now.”
A STRONG START FOR YOUR CAREER
Looking back on her education, Ms. Jeevita said that JCU gave her a solid foundation in psychology that prepared her well for the world of work.
“I always tell people who want to study psychology to do it at JCU,” she said, advising freshmen to be open, patient, and have fun exploring their career interests.
“It can feel daunting at times, and it can feel like we need to know what we want to do right away and then fixate on it,” Ms. Jeevita said. “Sometimes it’s really about enjoying the process of learning yourself and being open to what the whole field has to offer.”
Visit the 24/7 James Cook University Open House for more information on the Bachelor of Psychological Science program.
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