Through research, mentorship, and curiosity, Kaufman has shaped a path toward graduate study and a deeper understanding of human behavior
Above: Kaufman (right) attending the MBU Career Fair
When Zoe Kaufman ’26 arrived at Mary Baldwin University, she was still exploring what she wanted to study, and what questions she wanted to pursue.
Over time, she found her answer in psychology.
“I’ve always been really interested in understanding people,” Kaufman said. “I found myself asking questions about why people think and behave the way they do.”
That curiosity led her to declare a major in psychology and eventually take on leadership roles as co-president of Psi Chi and secretary of the Psychology Club. But more importantly, it guided her toward a growing interest in research.
Discovering a Direction
While Kaufman initially considered a path in counseling, her academic experiences helped refine her interests.
“I took a class on addiction and even worked as a teaching assistant for it, but I realized it wasn’t quite the right fit for me,” she said. “What really stood out were courses like Research Methods and Social Psychology.”
Those classes shifted her focus toward studying broader patterns in human behavior, including how attitudes form and how social systems influence decision-making.
“I’ve become really interested in things like cognitive dissonance, prejudice, and social predispositions,” she said. Courses like Social Psychology, Hate Crimes and Movements, and Women in Film further deepened her interest in the intersection of psychology, society, and culture, and inspired a capstone project focused on sociological differences.
Research with Purpose
Kaufman now brings those interests together in her senior thesis, where she is contributing to a larger research project examining how people think about justice and social issues.
“I’m part of a project looking at how dispositional mindfulness relates to attitudes toward restorative justice for unauthorized immigrants,” she said.
For her own research, Kaufman is exploring how social dominance orientation (SDO) — a person’s tendency to support hierarchical social structures — may influence that relationship.
“My hypothesis is that SDO will moderate the relationship between mindfulness and attitudes toward restorative justice,” she explained.
Her work touches on timely and complex questions about how individuals respond to alternative frameworks for addressing harm.
“Restorative justice is about shifting the focus from punishment to repairing harm,” Kaufman said. “It’s a different way of thinking about how we approach issues like immigration.”
Support Along the Way
Throughout her time at MBU, Kaufman has found guidance and encouragement from faculty mentors, including Dr. Chandra Mason.
“In Research Methods, I was really struggling at first,” Kaufman said. “But Dr. Mason was incredibly supportive and helped me work through it and build my confidence.”
That support has been instrumental as Kaufman developed her thesis and refined her academic interests. “She’s as passionate about politics and advocacy as I am,” Kaufman added. “That’s been really inspiring.”
Looking Ahead
As she prepares to graduate, Kaufman plans to continue her academic journey by pursuing graduate school, and maybe even a PhD, in social psychology.
Her goal is to keep exploring the kinds of questions that first drew her to the field — examining how people think, how beliefs are shaped, and how those insights can be applied to real-world challenges.
“I came to MBU still figuring things out,” she said. “Now I feel like I have a clear direction and a strong foundation to build on.”
At Mary Baldwin, Kaufman found more than just a major; she found a focus, a path forward, and the support she needed along the way.