2022 Mark K. Allen Recipient: Jake Jensen

“We would like to spotlight one of the recipients of the Mark K. Allen Award from our department, Jake Jensen! Jake is a senior in the psych program from Sandy, UT. While here at BYU, Jake has been a part of the BYU branch of the national alliance on mental illness (NAMI) for several years and has worked as an RA in Dr. Cobia’s lab studying schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. In his free time, Jake enjoys snowboarding, hiking, and binge-watching crime dramas. A fun fact about Jake is that he has had his face broken in 4 different places due to a combination of accidents and surgery! When asked about his favorite psych class, Jake said, “I think the class that most impacted me was psych 342, abnormal psychology. While it was a lot of information to take in, it humanized individuals with mental illness in a way that made it much easier to see the person rather than the illness. Additionally, the requirement to volunteer at the psych hospital was easily the best volunteering experience while I was at BYU. I would 100% recommend students enroll in this class, as it will equip you with the ability to more fully understand what those with mental illness are experiencing and why.” Upon graduating, Jake will be attending medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. Jake chose this path because it provides an amazing opportunity to combine humanistic empathetic connection and physical healing.”