PhD Psychology Faculty Take 5 | Guest: Dr. Jesus Tanguma

From Equations to People: Dr. Jesus Tanguma’s PhD Journey In this Faculty Take Five episode, Associate Dean Dr. Amy Sickel talks with Dr. Jesus Tanguma, adjunct faculty at Walden University, about his nontraditional path from high school mathematics teacher to earning a PhD in educational psychology at Texas A&M University. They discuss how discovering the human meaning behind statistics transformed his career, the role of mentorship and imposed research direction in his doctoral journey, and the importance of finding work that feels intrinsically meaningful rather than transactional. Dr. Tanguma also reflects on developing empathy as an educator and offers advice on choosing dissertation topics and sustaining motivation through doctoral study.