DU Senior Aspires to Serve Some of Society’s Most Vulnerable

When it came time for Megan Lindenmeyer to choose a college, it was important that whatever school she attended offered both psychology and criminology majors.

Lindenmeyer was captivated by a psychology course she took at a local community college while in high school. She found the part of the course that delved into psychopathology particularly fascinating.

Since that class, Lindenmeyer has aspired to serve some of society’s most vulnerable members: Individuals who are or have been incarcerated and are suffering from severe and persistent mental health issues.

Today, Lindenmeyer is set to graduate from the University of Denver in June with a double major in psychology and criminology. Then in the fall, she’ll start graduate school to become a clinical psychologist — one step closer to reaching a goal she set for herself even before she set foot on DU’s campus.

Lindenmeyer says both her academic and extracurricular activities at DU have strengthened her passion for her fields of study.

“The faculty in both departments (psychology and criminology) have been super supportive,” she says. “From helping me with my thesis to writing letters of recommendation for grad school and helping me discern what grad programs might best match my interests, they’ve just been fantastic.”

Lindenmeyer currently interns with Second Chance Center, an organization dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated individuals successfully transition into society with proper education, support and resources.

On campus, she helped to start a chapter of “Active Minds,” an organization that seeks to change the conversation, raise awareness and provide education about mental health.

Last summer, thanks to a donor-funded Career and Professional Development Award, Lindenmeyer took an unpaid internship with a local drug court, where she got to observe how judges, treatment providers and others worked with individuals with substance use disorders in the justice system.

Lindenmeyer says the internship and her whole DU experience, including a formative quarter abroad in New Zealand, would never have been possible without the scholarships she was awarded.

The Chancellor Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship that covers a significant portion of tuition for all four years of undergraduate study and provides recipients with a grant to live on campus their first two years, played a key role in Lindenmeyer’s decision and ability to attend DU.

“Without scholarships, my whole DU experience wouldn’t have been possible,” Lindenmeyer says. “I know that’s the case for a lot of students here.”  

To learn about how your gift in support of scholarships can make a difference in the lives of students like Megan, contact ScholarshipGiving@DU.edu.