February 21, 2025

“Being a human development and counseling major makes interacting with people easier because I understand their perspective,” shared Cristina Labbe ‘25.

Labbe’s choice to become a human development and counseling major was unexpected. She arrived at Drexel as an undecided first-year student. “I was interested in psychology, but I was not fond of all the biology classes required. The human development and counseling program resembled a psychology degree, but focused on therapeutics, and I felt it was a perfect fit for me, she revealed.

Fittingly, the Baltimore native further discovered her passion for counseling while receiving services from the Drexel Counseling Center. She emphasized the significant impact of the services in her early undergraduate career and how it has afforded her a greater understanding of the influence of therapy.

"I went to counseling my first year because I was undecided, and I was dealing with some personal challenges. It ended up being a valuable experience for me. Going through that process has given me a better understanding of my coursework. Instead of simply learning about the theory from the books, I’ve been on the ‘proverbial couch’ so to speak,” she said. “It is interesting to have experienced counseling and then learn about it from a practitioner’s point of view. After my experience with the counselors here at Drexel, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I think this would be a nice option to explore.’”

Her compassionate persona proved to be especially helpful in her dual roles as both a human resources recruitment co-op and outreach project intern at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).

“I enjoy interacting with so many [different] people. I was a recruitment specialist, but I also wanted to try being an outreach project intern. SEPTA started a program where they help the vulnerable population within the [SEPTA] system. It gave me the chance to try an atypical position within behavioral health outside of being an actual clinician. I had the opportunity to work within a field that was still impacted by mental health in some ways,” Labbe explained.

Labbe worked with the SCOPE program, which, according to SEPTA, is a system-wide approach to connect vulnerable individuals with social services and provide a safe, clean transit system for riders and employees. She also gave some insight into her experiences working with a diverse population in recruitment.

“A large aspect of my job [in recruitment] lies in equal opportunity and diversity and equity, so I interact with people from diverse backgrounds. We work a lot with justice-impacted individuals—which are individuals with a criminal history. We help them gain employment,” Labbe explained.

In addition to her work at SEPTA, Labbe had the opportunity to utilize her counseling experience and give back to the Drexel community as both a First-Year Exploratory Studies (FYES) peer mentor and resident assistant. As she prepares for graduation, she expressed her gratitude and excitement for the program’s growth.

“When I started the program, it was only me. It’s been nice to see the program grow so much from a single person to at least 60 people now. It’s refreshing to see everyone be so passionate about their career options. It [the program] has been so fulfilling, and I feel that I’ve had so much personal growth during my time here at Drexel,” she said.

Post-graduation, Labbe plans on continuing her role as a human resources recruitment specialist at SEPTA.

By Myleah Herbert; Marketing '25