Sydney Conroy | Cambridge PhD in Play Therapy (Child Trauma, Mental Health, Psychology), Biases (Systems & Culture), Moves (Southern California, Michigan, Cambridge), Dating & Relationships (Good & Bad), Identify | Coffee's on Me, David Quan 权丁文

Episode 89 of #CoffeesOnMeDavidQuan: Sydney Conroy is a PhD candidate at Christs College, University of Cambridge and the Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development, and Learning (PEDAL) researching play therapy and trauma. She grew up in the US in Southern California before moving to Michigan, where she participated in the scholarship program the Kalamazoo Promise. This allowed her to receive her Bachelors at Michigan State University, before pursuing her Master’s at Seattle University. Sydney practiced as a therapist in Seattle using play therapy which inspired her PhD proposal and brought her to Cambridge. She has published two academic papers on the use of popular children’s films to explore complex psychological topics in an effort to make academia slightly more playful and accessible. “It was wonderful to have a conversation with David! It was easy at times to forget that it was even a podcast episode as it was an engaging and enjoyable conversation. I found it a lovely space to wander back through life and connect moments in the past to my current work and life at Cambridge. Would recommend anyone to come along to record an episode if they’re interested in sharing.“ - Sydney Conroy --- WHY? COFFEE'S ON ME, DAVID QUAN 权丁文 TL;DR: To process my emotions after a grueling campaign for President of The Cambridge Union, I reflected upon the influences of my late Grandfather and wrote him a letter: https://linktr.ee/DavidQuan . Drawing inspiration from him, I hope to learn more from others through genuine discussions – giving listeners heartfelt conversations filled with authentic insights, and giving guests legacy-worthy interviews to treasure. To converse with someone without a strict time limit or structure – meticulously engaging in a curious process of clarifications or elaborations – is not only a rare privilege. This longer format also allows the sharing of otherwise unshared or unappreciated anecdotes. There are appeals to sound-bite media, of course, but the metrics that matter most to me are more about the uniqueness of contribution than measures of virality. Over time, I hope to be able to better deconstruct guests' fascinating experiences – to seamlessly tease out the insights for listeners to enjoy and learn from while cooking, commuting, relaxing, or walking their pet. But this personal project is fundamentally as much about what we can learn from the guests as it is to give them (current) legacy-worthy interviews. My top priority is for guests to enjoy a unique opportunity to challenge, learn about, and be themselves; hopefully, they will be able to keep recordings of in-depth, heartfelt conversations to reflect on in years’ time. And the best part for guests? Coffee’s on Me, David Quan 权丁文 --- NOMINATE A GUEST Please contact me to nominate someone. This would really help identify the anonymous extraordinaries！ --- CONTACT ME Having grown up in Xi'an, China, and Adelaide, Australia, I am a Double First-Class University of Cambridge Graduate (Class of 2023) and current Goldman Sachs Analyst. Please do have the courage to say hello! LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/DavidQuan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dingwen-david-quan/