Category Archives: Student Highlight

Course Highlight: PSYC-327 Interpersonal Relationships

Dr. Powell’s Interpersonal Relationships course discusses family, peer, and romantic relationships. Delving into the science of relationships, students read an empirical article related to the day’s topic and then discuss the article, as well as other research, on the day’s topic in class. Throughout the semester, students are assisted in the development of an infographic on a topic of their choosing. A sampling of the infographics completed by the students this past fall semester are shared below!

Christopher Resendiz’ Infographic, “Online Dating: Deception and Modality Switching”

Sydney Wagner’s Infographic, “Debunking the Myth that ‘Opposites Attract'”

Jenna Santos’ Infographic, “FOMO In Social Media & Relationships”

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
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Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

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Unveiling the Journey of a Roanoke College Psychology Student: Navigating Research, Success, and the Pursuit of Knowledge

Roanoke College is a hub of academic excellence, nurturing young minds to realize their full potential. Among its many accomplished students, one stands out: a psychology major with a passion for understanding human development. Meet Raegan Middlethon, whose journey at Roanoke College is an inspiring testament to the pursuit of knowledge, research excellence, and the desire to make a difference.

A Passion for Psychology

Raegan, a psychology major with a concentration in human development, has always been drawn to the complexities of the human mind. She eloquently describes her fascination with psychology, stating, “When it comes to psychology, I like learning a little bit of everything.” This curiosity has driven her to explore diverse topics within the field, from social relationships and development to the effects of drugs on the brain and psychophysiology.

Research Endeavors

A defining aspect of Raegan’s Roanoke College experience has been her involvement in research. She has worked closely with Dr. Buchholz since her junior year, embarking on a journey to study parasocial relationships (PSRs). These one-sided bonds that humans form with celebrities, athletes, or fictional characters intrigued her. Her dedication led to the presentation of their findings at a conference in Washington, D.C.

Following this success, Raegan and Dr. Buchholz turned their attention to the ever-evolving influence of TikTok, exploring its impact on society and individual well-being. Her commitment to research extends to her membership in Dr. Powell’s lab, where she investigates how watching videos of children playing on YouTube influences creativity, imagination, and parent-child relationships.

Summer Scholars Program

Raegan reflects on her participation in the Summer Scholars program as a pivotal experience. She relished the opportunity to delve deeply into her research without the distraction of regular coursework. “I really enjoyed being able to focus on my research without thinking about a bunch of other things, like my class assignments,” she says. This immersive experience offered valuable insights into her own work habits and academic strategies.

A Morehead Winner

Her journey at Roanoke College took an unexpected turn when Raegan became a Morehead winner. She modestly recalls, “I actually didn’t think I was a Morehead winner for a few months, so it was a big surprise when I got the email!” Her recognition as a Morehead winner is a testament to her dedication and echoes the legacy of President John Morehead, who did so much for the college.

Convocation Speaker

Raegan’s journey also led her to the prestigious role of being a convocation speaker, an experience she describes as a “great honor.” She recognizes that her story may have seemed cheesy to her freshman self, but she hopes it inspired others to explore their potential. “Any psychology major will tell you that humans have the tendency to underestimate a lot of things, including ourselves,” she wisely observes.

Future Aspirations

As Raegan approaches her graduation date in May 2024, she has big dreams for the future. She is currently in the process of applying to several PhD programs, a testament to her unwavering commitment to research and making a difference in the world of psychology. Her vision is clear: “I’d like to produce research dealing with children and adolescents that helps inform clinicians, schools, parents, and policy makers.” Furthermore, she aspires to become a professor one day, potentially even returning to Roanoke College to inspire future generations of students.

In conclusion, Raegan’s journey as a psychology student at Roanoke College is a remarkable story of dedication, curiosity, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. Her research endeavors, accolades, and future aspirations reflect the caliber of students Roanoke College fosters. As she continues to make strides in the field of psychology, we can only anticipate the positive impact she will have on the world.

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Twitter: @RC_Psychology

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Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

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Honors Defense: Devin Brown

Huge congratulations to senior Devin Brown who successfully defended her honors project on Tuesday April 11th!

Devin Brown ’23 poses with her Honors in Psychology t-shirt after a successful defense

Devin’s project was titled The Pen is Mightier than the Brain: the Cognitive and Social Psychology Behind the Handwriting Legibility Effect. During the defense, Devin’s project advisor Dr. Carter was joined by committee members Dr. Kennedy-Metz and Dr. Brenzovich.

Below is the abstract from Devin’s paper:

The handwriting legibility effect suggests that the quality of handwriting can affect the grades that are assigned to student papers. There are both cognitive and personality based theories that give a basis for why this occurs, but there is a lack of cohesive research testing subcomponents of these theories. This research is a controlled experiment designed to fill this gap in the current literature.  To understand how handwriting quality contributes to evaluator perception of author competency, warmth, and similarity, these personality components were considered. For cognitive components, effort to read the essay, truthfulness of the answer, and complexity of the argument were studied. All of these were affected by the quality of handwriting the participants were exposed to except complexity. This research can be used in future studies to find and apply practical solutions to bring more equality in classroom settings for students that may have worse handwriting for a number of reasons. 

Congratulations, Devin!

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Internship Highlight: Logan Pasley

How does a Roanoke College psychology student spend spend her summer? This year, senior Logan Pasley chose to intern at Youth Connect of Virginia, serving as a Mentor and Life Skills Provider.

Pasley originally hails from Penhook, Virginia and studies psychology with a minor in sociology at Roanoke. She recently began interning with Youth Connect in her hometown, an opportunity she pursued because “I have always wanted to work with children.” Additionally, Pasley’s goal was to learn more about the foster care system and how it can be improved.

Pasley works remotely for Youth Connect in a paid position while earning course credit, a great example of the wide variety of internship opportunities for psychology majors.

As Mentor and Life Skills Provider, Pasley develops a one-on-one relationship with young clients. When meeting a new client, she learns about their background and uses the Casey Life skills assessment to evaluate “life skills in daily living, self-care, relationships, communication, respect, education, work, etc.” Pasley uses this information to design and implement a six-month plan of action for each client.

Pasley’s work with clients is very hands-on. Each session, her job is “to plan a day in which the client is exposed to activities in the community. I allow my clients to choose a specific goal or task to get accomplished throughout the day and then take them to the most appropriate location to accomplish this goal.”

This work allowed Pasley to develop important skills. She says,

“I learned a way of communicating with individuals who struggle with trauma, mental illness, and grueling circumstances.”

After a full summer of working with Youth Connect, Pasley took the time to reflect on her growth and the impact she’s had on her clients. In what she describes as the most meaningful moment from her internship, Pasley’s was reunited with the first client she ever worked with. She remembers,

“the client’s face lit up when I walked into the room. Her DSS [Department of Social Services] worker added that the client found her voice through me and rediscovered her purpose.”

After her experience working with clients one-on-one, Pasley now wants to turn her attention to the legal system, focusing on “the structural issues that affect every individual involved with the legal system.” She says a change is overdue and is passionate about addressing unseen issues.

We can’t wait to see how Logan Pasley continues to change lives at Youth Connect and beyond!

Are you interested in completing your own internship as a psychology student? Visit the department’s internship page or contact Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand at findely@roanoke.edu.

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Internship Highlight: Avery Jackson

The Roanoke College psychology department is always proud to recognize the work of our fantastic students. Today we are highlighting Avery Jackson who completed an internship this summer at Children and Family Associates in Roanoke, VA.

Avery is a senior from Yarmouth, Maine who is double majoring in Communications and Psychology. She shares that she was motivated to pursue this internship because “I knew I wanted to have a hand on experience with a counselor.”

While interning at Children and Family Associates, Avery was able to observe counseling sessions and discuss her questions and comments with the counselor afterwards. She shares what a typical day in her internship looked like: ” an average day would involve me going in at noon to debrief with my supervisor on the previous day. I would then sit in on the sessions each hour unless the client requested for me to not be present.”

This direct experience paid off since Avery says, “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to work with children, but after this experience I know that I want to pursue this career.”

I asked Avery to reflect on a meaningful moment from her experience. She shares that the most impactful memory occurred as she was wrapping up her internship:

“My supervisor pushed me to fill out the report for a new client. After meeting with this new client, my supervisor asked me what I would diagnose this patient with. I replied with what I thought the diagnoses would be and I remember a huge smile coming across her face. She told me she was so impressed and proud of me. She pushed and encouraged me the whole summer and made me realize that this is what I want to do, and I can do it.

Avery Jackson ’23

Avery’s work is an exciting example of the benefits of completing internships as a psychology student. We can’t wait to see what Avery does in the future and how her internship experience guides her career!

Psychology students who are interested in completing an internship can contact the department’s Internship Coordinator, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand (findley@roanoke.edu) for more information.

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Phi Beta Kappa News

Congratulations to all Roanoke College students who have been elected into Phi Beta Kappa during their undergrad years. PBK recognized and celebrates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and championed freedom of thought. As America’s most prestigious academic honor society, PBK is uniquely equipped to advocate for the value and benefits of liberal arts and sciences education.

This semester, Roanoke College held its election for new junior and senior members, and the Psychology Department is happy to report that the following Psych majors were elected:

Alice Chandler 
Maya Lamprinakos
Carey Linkous
Angela Ross
Anne Schoelkopf

We are so proud of the students above and of the additional Psychology majors that have been elected in prior semesters. You are all doing a great job at representing your college and our department. Thank you!

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We look forward to celebrating with you at the formal initiation ceremony, which will take place at 2:30pm in Antrim Chapel on Friday, May 6th, 2022. If you are a student recently elected into PBK, please check your email for a link to RSVP for the initiation ceremony.

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

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Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

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rc psychology highlight: Research

Claire McDonald and Ben Campbell, both psychology seniors at Roanoke College, were recently featured on Roanoke’s website for their research experience. You can check out the full page here.

Claire McDonald, Class of 2022

Claire wasn’t sure what degree she wanted to pursue when she first came to Roanoke College. But during the fall semester of her sophomore year, she enrolled in a developmental psychology class, taught by Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand, assistant professor of psychology. She loved the class and, consequently, found her major.

In the spring of her sophomore year, McDonald joined a lab managed by Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, which focused on adolescent and young adult peer relationships. This sparked her interest in research within psychology. This fall, Claire plans to work as a research intern at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem. She hopes to apply to graduate school to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology with a specific interest in research related to dementia and cognitive impairment in older adults — experience Claire said she hopes to gain at the VA Medical Center. But she’s not the only psychology student that has recently made big steps in their research experience…

“Research has played a huge role in my college career and in my development as a student. It has been the most crucial and beneficial part of my college experience.”

Ben Campbell, Class of 2022

Ben Campbell has used his interest in relational aggression, peer social dynamics and gender to formulate a study. He used the study to apply for the College’s Summer Scholars Program and received the prestigious award, enabling him to carry a project titled “Effects of elicited jealousy on masculinity and relational aggression in men.” You can check out more info on his research journey in our previous blog post, found here.


In recent years, approximately 30 students each semester have been involved in research. The experiences are important not just for information discovery, but also for deepened learning, enhanced training on specific topics or methods, and the development of skills that graduate training programs and employers in careers utilizing psychology look for and highly value. As a research assistant, students also develop professional and mentoring relationships with their faculty mentor, and refine critical thinking and statistical reasoning skills.

“The experience to contribute to a discipline in a larger way is a special opportunity,” Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand said. “Apart from the professional skills developed, the research experiences students at Roanoke are involved in also contribute to the sense of community we have in the department.”

Research is the bedrock of the student experience in Roanoke College’s psychology department, which brought the College its seventh consecutive “Great Schools for Psychology Majors” recognition in The Princeton Review’s annual “Best Colleges” guidebook, released on Aug. 31.

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

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Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

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SENIOR HIGHLIGHT: Maggie lewis, Lauren Powell, Destinee Sinclair, mason wheeler, and Allison tice!

Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 5 seniors: Maggie Lewis, Lauren Powell, Destinee Sinclair, Mason Wheeler, and Allison Tice.

Maggie Lewis

Maggie will be working full time as a Recovery Advocate at an inpatient psychiatric facility in my home state. 

Maggies favorite memory was completing mock clinical assessments in Dr. Hilton’s Clinical Psych course. 

Lauren Powell

After graduation, Lauren is continuing her education at the University of Lynchburg where she will obtain her M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling! 

Laurens states: “My favorite memory of the psychology department is doing research with Dr. Buchholz over the course of four years as a part of the research fellows program!”

Destinee Sinclair

Destinee will be attending East Carolina University pursuing a Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. 

Mason Wheeler

Mason plans to pursue her PhD at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, studying Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health.

Allison Tice

Allison will be attending Virginia Tech (Roanoke Higher-Ed Center) to receive her Masters of Arts in Counselor Education. She plans to then potentially pursue a PhD and hopefully open her own counseling practice. 

When asked about her favorite memory she stated “I love pie-a-prof! Always such a fun event!”

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Get Connected!

Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Instagram: rcpsychology

SENIOR HIGHLIGHT: Carolynn Bructo, Katherine Caldwell, Alyssa Mattson, grace page, and Vanessa Pearson!

Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 5 seniors: Carolynn Bructo, Katherine Caldwell, Alyssa Mattson, Grace Page, and Vanessa Pearson.

Carolynn Bructo

Carolynn plans to go back home to Columbus, Ohio, where she will take a gap year and then apply to Ohio State’s School Psychology program.

Katherine Caldwell

Katherine plans on working until going to graduate school to get her masters. She plans to become a marriage and family counselor in the future.

Alyssa Mattson

Alyssa will be taking an IL course as she resumes her LSAT studies and completes her research practicum. She plans to apply to law schools and resume her job search following her move to Washington, D.C.

Grace Page

Grace will be a part of Liberty University’s Marriage and Family Counseling Master’s program while also working full-time for a local non-profit organization.

Vanessa Pearson

After graduation, Vanessa will be teaching elementary school in Franklin County and will soon start a graduate school program on school counseling. 

Vanessa states: “My favorite psychology related memory is from Dr. FVN’s introduction to psychology class. During the lesson on conformity. We started the class standing up in order to see if anyone would come in late and see if they would sit down or stand up just because everyone else was. It was a fun activity to begin the lesson.”

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

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Congratulations Curt Kingery: Honors defense!

Kingery ’21 with his family while rocking his H.I.P (honors in psychology) shirt!

Congratulations to Curt Kingery ’21 for the successful defense of his Honors in the Major Project entitled “Tradeoffs In Designing Ideal Leaders: Does Political Ideology Predict Preferences for Dominant and Prestigious Leaders?” His supervisor, Dr. Lindsey Osterman was joined by committee members, Dr. Danielle Findley Van-Nostrand and Dr. Stacy Wetmore to oversee his defense.

Kingery ’21 and his committee members on his Zoom defense

Project Abstract:

Politicians rise to positions of significant influence through different displays of leadership behavior. Two distinct patterns for climbing social hierarchies, and obtaining leadership roles, have emerged from recent research: dominance-oriented and prestige-oriented strategies. These represent profoundly different navigation tactics that accomplish a singular goal, which is to ascend status hierarchies. Which strategy most effectively gains status depends heavily on contextual factors (such as environmental instability and perceptions of intergroup conflict) and the characteristics and needs of followers. Political candidates’ abilities to display cues consistent with one of these orientations, in the appropriate contexts, will impact perceptions of them by potential supporters who are critical to their political success. Evolutionary and social psychological research suggest followership evolved as a strategy to overcome multifarious cooperation and coordination problems from social group-living. Hence, left-leaning or right-leaning political followers’ preconceptions about the world may predispose them to defer status to qualitatively different leaders. In Study 1, we investigated whether or not political orientation reliably predicted a preference for traits associated with dominance or prestige-oriented leader. Participants designed ideal leaders, purchasing various characteristics with 3 different budgets. The different budgets unveiled trade-offs made under constraints. In Study 2, we replicated findings from the first study, and extended the understanding of circumstantial triggers for different leader orientations by assessing the role of—self-perceived—socioeconomic (in)security and pathogenic vulnerability on revealed preferences for an ideal leader.

Congratulations again to Curt Kingery ’21 on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Get Connected!

Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Instagram: rcpsychology

Congratulations Kaillee philleo: honors defense!

Philleo ’21 with her H.I.P (honors in psychology) shirt and bound copy of her final paper!

Congratulations to Kaillee Philleo ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project entitled “The Effect of Transitions on Parasocial Relationships: An Examination of Surrogate Use in College Freshmen During the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Her supervisor, Dr. Lindsey Osterman was joined by committee members, Dr. Todd Peppers and Dr. Stacy Wetmore to oversee her defense.

Project Abstract:

During the COVID-19 pandemic and with the increasing amount of time people spend interacting with media figures through online or broadcast platforms, an interest in examining parasocial relationships has become more popular. Specifically, little research has been conducted on parasocial relationships and their role during a period of transition. For that reason, this study set out to examine the role of surrogates within first-year college students. Specifically, we were interested in examining what interactions existed between engagement in activities (e.g., parasocial, social, and nonsocial), campus connectedness, loneliness, and closeness. While focusing on first-year college students, we also took into consideration the current pandemic and the state of the college during the time of this study. Results echoed previous research findings in that loneliness was found to be correlated with parasocial interactions. Moreover, we found partial support for our hypotheses through the findings that (1) loneliness mediated relationships between campus connectedness and parasocial and social activities, as well as (2) social activities mediated the relationship between campus connectedness and loneliness. Moreover, even though our moderation analyses did not result in significant main interactions, parasocial surrogate use was suggested within our data set. While some clear limitations were present within this study, we offered ways in which future research could continue to examine these variables.

Congratulations again to Kaillee Philleo ’21 on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Get Connected!

Blog:https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Instagram: rcpsychology

Congratulations class of 2021!

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! With graduation being less than 24 hours away, we want to invite, family, friends, community members, faculty, staff, alum and anyone else to join us in celebrating our 2021 Psychology Department graduates.

Using this link you may record a video, upload an image, leave a message or select some options for gifts to share with our 2021 graduates.

As a member of the class of 2021, I speak on behalf of all other 2021 graduates in thanking the entire psychology department for guiding us and being there for us these past four years. We certainly would not have gotten to where we are today without you all and thank each of you for all of your support throughout these last four years.

Get Connected!
Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology

Senior highlight: Kaillee Philleo, celine taylor, kelsey markle, and melissa DeShaw!

Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Kaillee Philleo, Celine Taylor, Kelsey Markle, and Melissa Deshaw!

Kaillee Philleo

Congratulations! After her graduation, Kaillee plans to move to NYC to pursue her Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology. When asked about her favorite psychology-related memory, she couldn’t pick just one, so she gave three! 1. defending her Honors in the major project 2. presenting at SPSP in New Orleans, and 3. work

as a student assistant and “being able to enjoy the April Fools day pranks, share memes with the department, and enjoy all of Ellen’s lovely treats during the holidays”.

Celine Taylor

Celine plans on taking a gap year so she can gain more experience through an internship! Then, she is looking to apply to master programs that involve either mental health counseling or applied developmental

psychology. Her favorite classes in the psych department were the ones that Dr. Powell taught. “She has been such a positive influence and has helped me figure out the track I want to take with psychology due to her passion for her field. The human development concentration has been a great experience and I appreciate all the help she has given me over the past four years!” Congrats!

Kelsey Markle

Congratudlations Kelsey! We are so excited to hear that you will be starting to work in the Roanoke area as a Case Manager for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare! Wishing you the best.

Melissa DeShaw

After her graduation, Melissa plans to go to graduate school for school psychology! We are very proud of you and cannot wait to see what the future holds! Congrats.

Get Connected!
Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology

Congratulations Carly schepacarter: honors defense!

Schepacarter ’21 with the art she produced for this project and later donated to HopeTree Family Services

Congratulations to Carly Schepacarter ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major and Honors Distinction Project entitled “Art for Healing: Experiencing Art Improves Emotion after a Negative Event”. Her supervisor, Dr. Travis Carter was joined by committee members, Ms. Katherine Shortridge, Dr. Darcey Powell, and Mr. Wes Brusseauto to oversee her defense.

Schepacarter ’21 with her art in Olin Galleries

Project Abstract:

Existing research suggests that making art has benefits for mental health, but can other interactions with art still help people (Henderson et al., 2007)? This project endeavors to address the relationship that individuals have with art, and determine if varied interactions with art can improve one’s emotional state—especially for participants primed to recall a negative life experience. Participants in the first study were primed to recall negative memories prior to completing an art rating task, the Discrete Emotions Questionnaire (DEQ; Harmon-Jones et al., 2016), and an art experience questionnaire. The second study primed participants with the same negative writing task prior to their completion of either art or non-art task. Ultimately, interacting with art evoked more positive emotions in both studies. The results of the research studies and a literature review were used to create works of art for a family services center in Salem, VA.

Congratulations again to Carly Schepacarter ’21 on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Get Connected!

Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Instagram: rcpsychology

CONGRATULATIONS Sydney Caulder: HONORS DEFENSE!

Congratulations to Sydney Caulder ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project entitled “Exploring Sensation Seeking and Psychopathy Factors: Associations with Risk-Taking Behaviors and Aggression”. Her supervisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Lindsey Osterman and Dr. Dane Hilton to oversee her defense.

Project Abstract:

Previous research has established a link between sensation seeking behaviors, aggression, risk-taking, and psychopathic personality. The links between both sensation seeking, psychopathy, and risk-taking are well-established, but literature on factors that might mitigate these associations (when healthier coping mechanisms are implemented) is limited. The current study examined associations between sensation seeking, psychopathy, risk-taking and aggression and aimed to extend this research by exploring whether activities that would fulfill sensation seeking tendencies in a safer way may buffer against risk-taking and aggression. Several moderation analyses were conducted to explore the effect of recreational risk-taking on outcomes of aggression and maladaptive risk-taking with predictors of sensation seeking and psychopathy. Correlations replicated previously established associations between these constructs, but the results of many of the moderation analyses were insignificant. However, recreational risk-taking moderated the association between sensation seeking and maladaptive risk-taking, but not as expected. Findings may serve as a good starting point to attempting to understand less maladaptive risk-taking mechanisms.

Congratulations again to Sydney Caulder on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Get Connected!

Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Instagram: rcpsychology

CONGRATULATIONS Carolynn Bructo: HONORS DEFENSE!

Carolyn defending her project on zoom before her committee.
Carolyn defending her project on zoom before her committee.

Congratulations to Carolynn Bructo ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her project was titled  “STEM Students’ Perceptions of Changes in Motivation and Identity During a Global Pandemic: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective”. Her supervisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Darcey Powell and Dr. Matthew Fleenor to oversee her defense.

Project Abstract:

Student persistence in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) particularly deserves close attention given the alarming attrition rates from such programs. Education and academic achievement are vital pathways to personal and professional success, and the importance of promoting STEM students’ success to enter this field is arguably more evident yet challenging amid a global pandemic. In this study, we aimed to use self-determination theory (SDT), an established theoretical framework in educational psychology that states that individuals’ internal motivation strongly corresponds with the satisfaction of three specific psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), to understand better the perceptions of emerging adults’ satisfaction of these needs during an ongoing global pandemic, and how these needs along with science identity relate to intrinsic motivation, achievement, and intention to persist in STEM. We examined STEM students’ satisfaction levels of both general and domain-specific needs using an online survey (N = 60). As hypothesized, students perceived their domain-specific needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness satisfaction to decrease from pre-pandemic to currently. There was mixed support for other hypotheses. Perceived satisfaction in autonomy, across all measures, was significantly positively related to intrinsic motivation. Students’ perceived satisfaction of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in basic and domain-specific measures were significantly associated with amotivation. Science identity was the most significant predictor of intention to leave STEM. Finally, academic achievement was negatively related to perceived autonomy satisfaction. We hope the results from this study can help us better understand how to promote the success of these students.

Bructo’21 with her Honors in the Major t-shirt.

Congratulations again to Carolynn Bructo on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
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Senior Highlight: Kira Hunt, Abbie Joseph, David Casson, and Carly Schepacarter!

Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Kira Hunt, Abbie Joseph, David Casson, and Carly Schepacarter!

Kira Hunt

Congratulations to Kira! After graduation, she plans to take a gap year working as a teacher’s assistant while home. Then, she plans on applying to graduate programs in preparation to become a Certified Child Life Specialist. Kira’s favorite memory of the Psychology department was attending the psychology reception for alumni weekend. “It was interesting to hear stories from alumni who had the teachers that I had. It’s also really fun to watch the psychology faculty interact with each other.”

Abbie Joseph

Congrats Abbie! After graduation, she will be attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Abbie’s favorite psych-related memory has been the opportunities to gain research experience and being able to carry out her own research study. She is “very thankful for Dr. Powell and all her patience and guidance!”

David Casson

Congratulations to David! His post graduate plans are to move to Easton, MD for the summer, since his folks have purchased a new house there recently. He will be working a job there over the summer and hopefully gaining resume experience while he plans what to do for a graduate school transition in the near future. David’s favorite memory of the Psychology department  was when he took a Drugs and Behavior class with Dr. Allen. “This class was extremely interesting, thought provoking, engaging, and fun all along the way. Learning how varying forms of substances affect different parts of the brain and behavior in unique ways was something I did not think I would learn at Roanoke.”

Carly Schepacarter

Congrats Carly! In the fall, Carly will be pursuing her Master’s in Art Therapy degree at George Washington University. She hopes to work part-time in a research lab or human services position as she works toward her degree. Carly’s favorite psych-related memory has been working in Dr. Carter’s research lab for the past 3 years! “Our lab meetings have been the highlight of my week each semester and I always appreciated the support I received from my lab partners and Dr. Carter in my time here.”

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How PSYC 110 Students Pursued Their Purpose

If you are a freshman or sophomore wrapping up this semester thinking, “What am I going to do after I graduate in a few years?” or are wondering, “What should I be doing these next few years to reach my career goals?” then make a note to add PSYC 110 to your Spring 2022 schedule!

PSYC 110 is a P/F course taught each spring that helps students consider their post-graduation pursuits, as well as clarifies for students the resources available to them within the department and across the college. In a typical (i.e., face-to-face) semester, students also shadow a professional in a career of interest to them. In this semester’s remote format, students complete two informational interviews with professionals in careers of interest to them. After completing the interviews, the students created posters summarizing what they learned.

Continue reading for some examples of the posters from this semester’s students.

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Congratulations Kira Hunt: Honors Defense

Kira wearing her new Honors in the Major t-shirt!

On May 10th, Kira Hunt successfully defended her Honors in the Major and Honors Distinction Project. Congratulations Kira! The psychology department faculty/staff and your fellow departmental student assistants are so proud of you.

Her project was titled: “Ignoring Red Flags: Self Efficacy and Self-Disclosure in Online Romantic Relationships”. In addition to a successful defense, Kira completed an impressive two-lab project working in both Dr. Powell and Dr. Nichols’ labs. Her work beautifully combines aspects from multiple disciplines, including psychology and sociology.

Kira defending her project on zoom!

Project Abstract:

With the advancement of technology, dating has changed drastically, especially for emerging adults who make up a considerable portion of online daters. However, dangers surrounding dating someone met online (e.g., misrepresentation) are a major concern. Additionally, without the social cues usually gathered from face-to-face interactions, individuals often have intense feelings of intimacy and are more willing to self-disclose more than in face-to-face interactions. The first study aimed to examine if romantic self-efficacy and target attractiveness impacted the likeliness to self-disclose in online initiated relationships. There were no significant differences in likelihood to self-disclose based on romantic self-efficacy or target attractiveness. However, likeliness to disclose did appear to be affected by whether misleading information was included, and the depth or level of the information being disclosed. The second study utilized electroencephalogram (EEG) to determine if target attractiveness and presence of misleading information impacted brain activity. There were no significant differences in brain activity based on target attractiveness or vignette type, nor was amount of self-disclosure associated with brain activity. Although most of the hypotheses were unsupported, the current study suggests more research needs to be done to determine what characteristics of individuals or of potential partners might influence online dating behaviors (e.g., falling victim to online romance scams).

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Congratulations Abbie Joseph: Honors Defense!

Abbie Joseph wearing her new Honors in the Major t-shirt!

Congratulations to Abbie Joseph ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her project was titled  “Cyberstalking Behaviors After the Use of Ghosting”. Her supervisor, Dr. Darcey N. Powell was joined by committee members, Dr. Osterman and Dr. Berntson, to oversee her defense.

Abbie Joseph defending her project on zoom!

Project Abstract:

The purpose of the current study was to examine the differences in cyberstalking behaviors after the dissolution of a romantic interaction based on the dissolution strategy used (i.e., ghosting or explicit reasoning). Participants included emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 29 (N = 240) who had a romantic interaction end. A survey was used to collect information regarding participants’ most recent relationship dissolution, their experiences with ghosting and cyberstalking, their engagement in cyberstalking behaviors towards an ex-partner and the ex-partner’s new partner, their social media app usage, and their relationships with their ex-partner. Analyses revealed that participants whose most recent romantic interaction ended via ghosting did not engage in significantly more cyberstalking behaviors than participants whose most recent romantic interaction ended via explicit reasoning. There were no significant differences in the length of engagement in cyberstalking behaviors after the breakup between participants whose relationship ended through ghosting and participants whose relationship ended explicitly. There were no significant differences in engagement of cyberstalking behaviors between participants who initiated the ghosting and participants who were ghosted. Participants who were ghosted engaged in cyberstalking behaviors to seek out information about their ex-partner and the ex-partner’s new partner. The findings of the current study provide information on how the dissolution strategy is associated with post-dissolutional cyberstalking behaviors.

Congratulations again to Abbie Joseph on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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2021 Summer Scholars

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Congratulations to Naomi Painter and Ben Campbell for being selected as Summer Scholars!

Roanoke College’s Summer Scholar Program is designed for serious students who want to use their summers wisely and work one-on-one with faculty. Every year, students compete for selection to receive one of the summer scholarships. Faculty from across the college review student research proposals and decide these prestigious awards.

Naomi will be working with Buchholz on her project in light of the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic and issues involving prejudice and discrimination where she intends to examine the effects of disgust on the presence of prejudicial responses and the individual differences that contribute to said relationship.

Ben will be working with Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand on his project, inspired by his interest in traditional or toxic masculinity, where he intends to research the effects of jealousy on threatened masculinity and relational aggression (i.e., aggression used to harm peer relationships) use.

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Internship Highlight with Kait Gifford ’21

Internships are one of the main forms of experiential learning experiences offered at Roanoke College and within the psychology department. Each semester, our department sends students to work with various different organizations, across a number of fields or professions within psychology, to gain exposure to the field and to share their experiences with the department and other students on campus.

While COVID-19 has come with many challenges, this semester, many internships were able to resume, allowing one student, Kait Gifford ’21, to gain an internship that allowed her to overlap her two academic areas of interest, psychology and criminal justice. Specifically, this semester, Kait Gifford has been interning with the Salem Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. Continue reading to learn more about this experience and what Gifford does during this internship.

Can you tell me more about your internship?

At my internship, I have gotten to review past and current criminal cases here in Salem. I pretty much have free range over the case files including any important videos from the crime scenes, witness statements, and any other supporting documents which is very interesting and exhilarating. After I have reviewed the cases, I report what I have learned back to the Commonwealth Attorney and we discuss the pertinent portions of the cases and what would be relevant at trial.

What drew you to interning at the Commonwealth Attorney?

I was actually recommended to this internship by Interim Chief of Campus Safety, Joe Mills. I am a student dispatcher at Campus Safety and I knew that I wanted to have an internship that combined psychology and criminal justice. I want to go into Forensic Psychology, and I felt that this internship would give me a better handle on some of the legislative principles of the field, while also allowing me to apply what I have learned through my psychology courses at Roanoke.

What does a normal day look like for you?

For the most part, I spend the majority of my time at my internship pouring over the case files. However, I also sit in court and watch court proceedings and trials in addition to talking to the people that work in the different aspects of the court system. I feel that this has been particularly interesting and beneficial for me because everyone takes different paths, so it is interesting to hear how some of the essential people to the courts have made it to where they are today.

Thanks again to Kait Gifford ’21 for sharing this experience, and if you are interested in completing an internship, you can reach out to the psychology department’s internship director, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, as well as check out the Psychology Departments, and Career Services websites for more information and resources.

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SPSP Conference 2021

On February 9-13, eight students attended the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference virtually,  to present research through poster sessions and to attend presentations. The students included Sophie Bacon ’20, Carolynn Bructo ’21, Ben Campbell ’22, Sydney Caulder ’21, Kira Hunt ’21, Abbie Joseph ’21, Naomi Painter ’22, and Carly Schepacarter ’21.

This blog post will highlight reactions to presenting and attending the SPSP conference virtually.

Sophie Bacon ’20

While presenting a poster at a virtual conference was a different experience, I ended up finding a silver lining! Something that I ended up enjoying about the virtual format was having all of the information about the conference and the research that was being presented at my fingertips. I think I ended up reading and viewing more posters on the SPSP app than I did at a different conference that I attended in person!

Carolynn Bructo ’21

It was exciting to have my independent study project accepted for presentation at the SPSP convention. SPSP is the biggest organization of social psychologists and personality psychologists globally, and it is an achievement to have my work displayed. A benefit of the online format of the conference was that it was low pressure. Instead of a formal presentation, attendees can look at the poster and post any questions they may have. The online format also provided flexibility. I did not have to miss any classes, and I could look at other presentations in my free time. Although the experience of an online conference was undoubtedly different from getting to travel, I enjoyed the opportunity.

Ben Campbell ’22

I thought the conference did the best it could to make it interactive and interesting for presenters and attendees. I uploaded my poster and then added a 4-minute recording of myself presenting my study. I saw that several people watched and liked my poster/presentation. I however did not receive any questions for my Q&A, so I hope that the attendees found my work to be interesting and easy to comprehend. Though being online was a bit disappointing, I found it to be a great experience for me to present my work. 

Sydney Caulder ’21

My experience at the SPSP conference this year was a true reflection of these uncertain times. Although the way that it was conducted was unconventional, I was still met by a few professionals in the field that were supportive and interested in my work. I appreciated the organization into subsections of research and those who conducted the conference were able to keep a personalized feel. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of getting a taste of what conferences are like!

Kira Hunt ’21

Presenting at SPSP this year was certainly different because of the online format. I felt less pressure about having an audience because I recorded a video of me presenting the poster but I did miss the exhilaration from being around other people. However, I didn’t feel as though I missed seeing any posters I wanted to see, and having access to so much information for several days was nice.

Abbie Joseph ’21

Presenting at SPSP was a great experience, even though it was completely virtual. People from all across the country (and even across the world) were able to see the research I was doing and ask me questions. I was able to view as many posters as I wanted to on the app, and I still learned about a lot of the research that was going on, just like I would have if the conference was in person.

Naomi Painter ’22

Presenting virtually at the SPSP 2021 conference was an eye-opening experience. I greatly enjoyed the freeform aspect of a virtual conference that encouraged exploration and illustrated increased accessibility I had not experienced in past conferences. With the online platform, I was able to view multiple posters and recorded presentations at my own pace and convenience. As a presenter, I appreciated the various means by which questions and comments could be communicated in addition to the expanded time for individuals to view the poster and materials beyond a limited time period.

Carly Schepacarter ’21

Presenting at SPSP was a really positive experience. While I was skeptical at the beginning about an online conference, I feel like it was easier to navigate and find talks/posters I was interested in, as well as for others to engage with my work more than just for the hour that my presentation was scheduled. There was a whole host of topics to explore and I really enjoyed taking the time to listen to a few presentations and enjoy the conference environment (and the psychology meme group!). I would definitely present at another virtual conference and recommend the experience to others.

Congratulations once again to all those that presented at SPSP!

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SPSP CONFERENCE Posters 2021

On February 9-13, eight students attended the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference virtually,  to present research through poster sessions and to attend presentations. The students included Sophie Bacon ’20, Carolynn Bructo ’21, Ben Campbell ’22, Sydney Caulder ’21, Kira Hunt ’21, Abbie Joseph ’21, Naomi Painter ’22, and Carly Schepacarter ’21.

This blog post will highlight the posters that the students presented and a brief summary of their research.

Sophie Bacon ’20

Research has shown that social networking platforms (Instagam, Facebook, Snap Chat, ect) afford the opportunity for identity development, specifically through engaging in different types of self-presentation. In this study, we examined the association between social goals (including, authenticity, the need for popularity, and need for belonging) and presentation of the real, ideal, and false self on social media.

Our main findings were that Authenticity predicted greater real self-presentation on social media, a high need for popularity predicted higher false self-presentation, and a high need for belonging predicted greater ideal self-presentation.

Carolynn Bructo ’21

In this study, we examined achievement goal orientations (mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance) in association with intention to remain in STEM majors and differences in these variables and associations by gender and unrepresented minority status in a large sample of undergraduate students. Results suggest achievement goals are meaningfully related to STEM persistence.

Ben Campbell ’22

This study aimed to expand on past research on relational aggression in adolescents, but in emerging adults (age 18-25). Relational aggression is an indirect form of aggression used to harm relationships (e.g., silent treatment, excluding others from a peer group, gossiping, verbal threats). We examined associations between relational aggression, resource control strategies (coercive and prosocial), social status (popularity, likeability, and social status insecurity), dominance, and prestige. Results showed that like in adolescents, relational aggression in emerging adults is associated with higher use of dominant behavior, coercive resource control strategies, greater social status insecurity, and greater valuing of popularity. This suggests that people who desire popularity and dominance within a peer group use higher amounts of relational aggression to attain and maintain that status.

Sydney Caulder ’21

Research has found that narcissism predicts heightened provoked aggression and hostility. However, less understood is the role of hostile attribution bias (HAB) in these associations. In this study, we examined multiple conceptualizations of narcissism (grandiose and pathological) in relation to HAB and aggressive responses to provocation.

Kira Hunt ’21

My poster “Ignoring Red Flags” pertained to online dating and how self-efficacy in romantic relationships impacted how much-emerging adults self-disclosed (i.e. shared information about themselves) to hypothetical online romantic matches. I also wanted to determine if disclosure levels would change if these hypothetical online romantic matches differed in physical attractiveness and were paired with vignettes that varied in honesty. We found that self-efficacy was not associated with disclosure and photo attractiveness did not influence participants’ disclosures but the level of honesty did influence disclosure. Participants were less likely to disclose and continue communicating for deception vignettes.

Abbie Joseph ’21

This project explores the use of ghosting as a romantic relationship dissolution strategy and its association with post-dissolutional cyberstalking behaviors. Due to the uncertainty that ghosting involves, it was expected that ghosting would be associated with more severe and more frequent cyberstalking behaviors than relationships ended by other strategies (e.g., an explicit breakup).

Naomi Painter ’22

COVID-19 has impacted the food industry’s means of operation and employment. We examined the effect of stigmatization against Asian restaurants on the perception of contamination and willingness to order takeout. We found statistically significant effects as participants with a higher fear of contamination were less likely to order takeout and were also less likely to order Chinese food.

Carly Schepacarter ’21

This project’s goal was to determine if people experiencing a negative life event have different tastes in art than others, as well as if interacting with art can help those people have an improved emotional state. In the first study, we were interested in studying if individuals reported a different preference for art after recalling a negative event, and we wanted to know how exposure to art would impact their emotions. Ultimately, participants did not have a specific preference for a subject matter in art, but there was an interaction between Prime and Order which means that the Prime did impact the emotional state of the participants when they did the emotion questionnaire right after the prime, but this effect disappeared when they did the art rating first. The second study tested if this happened because of some impact of the art task, or because of natural decline over time. The results indicated that participants who completed an art task had more positive emotions on a questionnaire than those in a non-art control task. From this, we can say confidently that experiencing art after recalling a negative event increases positive emotions more than the control task. Research from this project was used to create paintings for Hopetree Family Services in Salem, VA.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR new PHI BETA KAPPA members!

Founded in 1776 by students at the College of William and Mary, Phi Beta Kappa is recognized as the oldest, largest, and most prestigious honor society in the nation. PBK’s main objective is to emphasize the importance of liberal arts and sciences while also recognizing those who strive for excellence in academics.

Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is a distinct honor.  Only 10% of the nation’s colleges and universities have chapters, and Phi Beta Kappa graduates include some of the country’s most distinguished citizens, including 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 Supreme Court Justices, more than 150 Nobel Laureates, and many other notable figures.

The Psychology Department would like to congratulate Kira Hunt, Abbie Joseph, Grace Page, Kaillee Philleo, Carly Schepacarter, and Lynsey Wyatt on their induction into the Nu Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Continue reading to hear from some of the students themselves! 

Kira Hunt
I am a senior psychology major with a concentration in neuroscience and a minor in sociology. I was really ecstatic to hear that I was selected because I had been working towards this since hearing about it in my freshman year. While at Roanoke, I’ve been a student assistant in the psychology department as well as an academic coach in the Center for Learning and Teaching. I am also a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Psi Chi. In addition, I have also participated in research in Dr. Powell’s lab as well as with Dr. Nichols, which is one of the things I am most proud of. I haven’t finished my Honors Distinction Project yet but I’m really proud of the progress I have made on it. After graduation, I plan on being in Teach for America while I prepare to go to graduate school to become a Certified Child Life Specialist.

Abbie Joseph  
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I am a senior psychology major with a concentration in human development and a minor in Spanish. I was very excited when I found out that I was elected into membership of Phi Beta Kappa, and it felt good knowing that I was being recognized for all my hard work throughout my time here. Here at Roanoke, I am a Subject Tutor in the Center for Learning and Teaching, a member of Stat Crew, and a Spanish cohort/activity leader. I am also a member of Psi Chi, Xi Theta Chi, and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies. I am involved in research in the psychology department as a research assistant in Dr. Powell’s developmental self-knowledge lab. One of my biggest accomplishments while at Roanoke has been my independent study for my Honors in the Major project titled, “Cyberstalking behaviors after the use of ghosting.” After I graduate, I plan to attend graduate school for my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Kaillee Philleo

I am a senior psychology and criminal justice double major. I received a voicemail from Dr. Peppers letting me know that I was selected for membership into PBK and I was ecstatic! I have been working towards membership into PBK since freshman year and I was so pleased that my hard work had finally paid off. While at Roanoke I have been involved in many things – from running on the Track and Field team, singing in the Roanotes acapella group, co-hosting a radio show, working as the campus activities director and creating fundraising events for Make-A-Wish in Chi Omega, working as the trip supervisor and guide with Outdoor Adventures, working as a student assistant in the psychology department, conducting research with Dr. Osterman, leading Psi Chi, NSLS, and Alpha Lambda Delta as president, as well as also being a member in Alpha Phi Sigma, Xi Theta Chi, Order of Omega, and Omicron Delta Kappa. It’s safe to say my time at Roanoke College has been far from boring. That all being said, my biggest accomplishments, besides being selected into PBK, are definitely presenting at the SPSP conference in New Orleans last spring, having the opportunity to ask Justice Sotomayor a question during her Zoom visit with Roanoke College, and working towards completing my honor in the major project. Upon graduating from Roanoke, I intend to enter into a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program and eventually become a forensic psychologist for juveniles.

Carly Schepacarter

Image.jpegI am pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Art and Psychology. When I received the news on Phi Beta Kappa, I was ecstatic. I have worked closely with Dr. Carter on research and a number of other things while on campus, so when he made a point of emailing me personally to let me know that I was selected it really had an additional layer of excitement with it. On-campus, I am a member and past President of the Honors Program, the current President of Alpha Phi Omega, a student assistant at Resource Development, and I do social psychology research with Dr. Carter in the Psychology Department. This semester, I am also an Artist in Residence in Olin Gallery, where I am currently creating and displaying the paintings I am producing for my Honors Distinction Project. One of my proudest accomplishments beyond Phi Beta Kappa was being selected as a Fintel Senior Scholar this summer, as well as being named the Senior Scholar for the Art Department this past year. Beyond awards, I am very proud of the work of the Alpha Phi Omega executive board during quarantine disruptions, where we worked tirelessly to still provide a valuable experience to new and existing brothers while at such an unexpected time. Upon graduation this May, I am looking to enroll in a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program or an Art Therapy Master’s program, with hopes to work in Family Services.

Congratulations again to everyone and we look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future! 

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SPSP Conference 2020!

On February 27-29, four students and three psychology professors attended the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana,  to present research through poster sessions and to attend presentations. The students included Hayley Mulford ’20, Naomi Painter ’22, Kaillee Philleo ’21, and Lauren Powell ’21. These students were joined by Dr. Buchholz, Dr. Carter, and Dr. Osterman.

Those in attendance have since given some insight onto what it was like presenting at the conference as well as their reactions to the conference and New Orleans, LA: 

Hayley Mulford

While I did not present at the conference, It was so cool to see how many different research projects were being done and how enthusiastic people were! Everyone was really professional and genuinely interested in the research. Moreover, people held such intellectual conversations. I got to talk to some people that go to grad school at FSU, which is where I am going, so I was so excited! New Orleans is one of the coolest places I have ever been to. I loved the culture, the people, the food, and the area. I would go back in a heartbeat! 

Naomi Painter

Dr. Buchholz and Naomi Painter standing in front of the poster Naomi Presented on – “Assessing the effects of participant inattentiveness on data quality across the semester”

Presenting at the SPSP 2020 conference was a wonderful experience in communicating our research projects and findings. I had a great time interacting with students and faculty members through discussion of projects and questions. Being able to see the wide variety of ongoing research was quite exciting, as many of the research topics correlated with ongoing issues that one often reads about or experiences each day.
One of the best parts of the New Orleans SPSP conference was being able to walk around and visit Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and other popular sites while witnessing firsthand the fascinating and entertaining atmosphere of the great city of New Orleans.

 

Kaillee Philleo

Kaillee Philleo and Dr. Osterman standing in front of the poster Kaillee presented on – “Listener attitudes and social media engagement after offenses by podcast hosts”

Going into SPSP I was quite nervous, as I have never presented at a conference before. However, after attending a few presentations and talking with other poster presenters, when it came time to present on my own research, it was not nearly as nerve-racking. I loved getting to learn about the variety of research topics in the field of psychology and enjoyed getting to meet other psychologists from across the world and discuss their projects and my own. Beyond the conference, we were able to explore New Orleans and I was able to try gumbo, which has since become my newfound favorite meal. I cannot wait to return to New Orleans in the future and hope to return to SPSP one day as well.

Lauren Powell

Lauren Powell and Dr. Buchholz standing in front of the poster Lauren presented on – “Are liberals more empathic than conservatives?”

This was my second conference but it was the first conference that I have attended that I presented my work independently! It’s not as scary as it seems, and you get to meet a lot of cool people who have the same interests as you – I had a lot of great conversations with people from all over the world!  Moreover, it was fun to see what other people were there to present. It’s always interesting to see that there are so many unexplored topics within the broad category of psychology. Beyond the conference, New Orleans was so much fun and I definitely plan on going back! I am really glad we were all able to experience New Orleans for just long enough to enjoy it but not long enough to be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak that has been happening.  

Dr. Buchholz

I always enjoy going to the Society of Personality and Social Psychology annual conference. This year it was in New Orleans, which was a lot of fun. At the conference, we have a chance to interact with some of the leading scientists in the field and to hear about cutting-edge research.  It is also a great opportunity for our students to present research that they have been conducting in our research labs. This year Naomi Painter and Lauren Powell were both able to present as first authors on our research examining empathy. 

Dr. Carter

Dr. Carter’s lunch one day!

I had a great time at SPSP! I wasn’t able to attend last year due to the birth of my son, so it was great to catch up with colleagues and friends from graduate school that I hadn’t seen in a while, and of course to soak up some culture in New Orleans (and several really good meals). I saw a number of really excellent talks, learned a lot, and took inspiration for a few new research projects. My favorite part, however, was getting to see one of my graduate advisors (Tom Gilovich) win the society’s prestigious Campbell Award. He’s a giant in the field, and he absolutely deserves the recognition.

Dr. Osterman

SPSP was a blast as always, and I’m so proud of how well our students did with presenting their research! They represented the college and department well. Kaillee even talked to some people from NPR about her podcasting research!

Congratulations to all those who attended the conference and for having successful presentations!

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SENIOR HIGHLIGHTS: Ryen Beach, Sophia Bacon, Athey Crump, and Emily Deeds!

Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Ryen Beach, Sophia Bacon, Athey Crump, and Emily Deeds!

Ryen Beach

My plans after graduation are to take a gap semester and then attend nursing. I want to be an emergency department nurse and become a flight nurse.

 

 

 

Sophia Bacon

This summer I have been accepted to participate in a clinical internship at Southeast Psych based in Charlotte, NC. In the fall, I plan to both nanny part-time and work at Easterseals UCP where I will be providing ABA therapy to children on the spectrum. I also plan to apply to various graduate school programs in clinical psychology for the 2021 academic year.

Athey Crump

My favorite memory is when I was walking down the hall one day and heard each class make a joke and laugh, one after the other. It made me smile and be so happy to be amongst so many good spirited people. 

After graduation, I plan to spend some time with my family while I’m home. Then I plan to attend graduate school nearby so I can be a little bit closer to home. 

Emily Deeds

My favorite memory was passing out in Dr. Powell’s Developmental Psychology class watching the video on fertilization. 

After graduation, I plan to move down south and pursue a career in Human Resources. 

Congratulations to you all on the success you have achieved while at Roanoke College and we look forward to seeing all that you do in the future!

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Senior Highlights: Casey Gough, Carter Smith, Emily Townley, and Ji’Asia Anderson!

Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Casey Gough, Carter Smith, Emily Townley, and Ji’Asia Anderson!

Casey Gough

My favorite part of the psychology department is that we are a family. I remember studying with psych students I didn’t even know in the library, studying while goofing off with all my friends, and taking naps on the psych lounge couch together.

After graduation, I will be attending Appalachian State University in the Fall (2020) for a three-year dual degree MA & EDs school psychology program.

Carter Smith

I love the community of the psychology department. Being apart of it was like having our own little family on the fifth floor that would occasionally go to the brewery together, pie each other in the face, and, oh yeah, take classes. 

After graduation, I will be serving in the Peace Corps as an English teacher and teacher trainer in Indonesia!

 

Emily Townley

Though it was daunting at the time, I greatly enjoyed defending my Honors in the Major/Distinction Project for psychology. It was the culmination of 3 semesters of independent work and I was excited to share my results. 

After graduation, my plans are to attend a Master’s program for psychology, with a focus on clinical psychology. As of writing this, I have gotten into four so we’ll see where I end up!

Ji’Asia Anderson

Carly and I were able to present our poster of the research we were helping Dr. Carter with all semester at the APS Conference in Washington. Sadly, we got a slot on the last day, so we only got to present to Carly’s mother and the group that had a poster next to us. Even though we didn’t have a lot of people to present to, we had a lot of fun seeing the different research that others had been conducting and talked to some really nice people.

After graduation, I plan to find a job as a counselor or a social worker, so I can use everything that I have learned at Roanoke to help other people. Hopefully, one day in the future, I will be able to work in the prison system as a counselor.

Congratulations to you all on the success you have achieved while at Roanoke College and we look forward to seeing all that you do in the future!

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Get Connected!

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Congratulations Casey Jo Gough: Honors Defense!

Casey Jo Gough wearing her Honors in the Major t-shirt!

Congratulations to Casey Jo Gough ’20 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her Project was titled “Adverse Peer Experiences on Social Media: Adjustment of Emerging Adults and Moderation by Social Support”. Her project advisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Darcey Powell and Dr. Johanna Sweet, to oversee her defense.

Project Abstract: Although data suggests adverse peer experiences persist past adolescence, studies beyond this cohort are limited (Kochenderfer & Ladd, 1996). Peer rejection and bullying research have recently expanded to examine online experiences (Landoll et al., 2013), but there is an inadequate understanding of adverse peer experiences via social networking sites. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adverse peer experiences online and the adjustment factors of stress and loneliness among emerging adults. In child and adolescent cohorts, social support has buffered the maladjustment impacts of bullying (Hong & Espelage, 2012). We hypothesize this trend will continue into emerging adulthood; specifically, people who are high in social support will feel less loneliness and less stress from adverse online experiences than those who are low in social support. Results indicated significantly more stress among females, but also more overall support. Further, college students received more belonging support than non-college students. Stress and loneliness were positively related to adverse peer experiences and negatively related to support. Social support did not moderate this relationship as expected. There was a significant interaction between high appraisal support and loneliness. Further analysis is recommended on the subscales of support concerning cohorts and adjustment variables.

Congratulations again to Casey Jo Gough on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Senior Highlights: Emily Jones, Lauren Furlow, Kinsey Overfelt, Hayley Mulford and Dionne-Louise Liberia!

Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 5 seniors: Emily Jones, Lauren Furlow, Kinsey Overfelt, Hayley Mulford, and Dionne-Louise Liberia!

Emily Jones

After graduation, I plan on working with children for a few years before I go to pursue a career in guidance counseling.

 

 

 

Lauren Furlow

One of my favorite memories from being in the Psychology Department was watching Dr. Buchholz cover Dr. Osterman’s office with googly eyes for April Fools. I definitely had nothing to do with the prank. 

After graduation, I am starting a PsyD program at Marshall University in August 2020. 

Kinsey Overfelt

After graduation, I will be continuing my education at Virginia Tech by pursuing a Master’s Degree in Counselor Education. 

 

 

 

Hayley Mulford

My favorite memory from being the Psychology Department was getting the chance to attend the SPSP Conference in New Orleans 2020!

After graduating I will be attending Florida State University to get my Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis! This will allow me to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst!

 

 

Dionne-Louise Liberia

After graduation, I plan on finding a full-time job as a Graphic Designer, dealing with digital marketing.

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to you all on the success you have achieved while at Roanoke College and we look forward to seeing all that you do in the future!

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Get Connected!

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Congratulations Senior Class of 2020!

At the end of each year, the Roanoke College Psychology Department decorates a bulletin board and holds a reception to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating senior class. Unfortunately due to the current circumstances, these events are unable to take place this year. Nonetheless, the graduating seniors of 2020 deserve to be recognized! For that reason, over the course of the next few days, we will be sharing the senior class and their plans after graduating from Roanoke College.

To the seniors, congratulations on all you have accomplished at Roanoke College. The Psychology department is so proud of each of you and we will continue to cheer you on from the fifth floor of Life Science no matter where you end up!

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Congratulations Sophie Bacon: Honors Defense

(Left to right) Dr. FVN, Sophie Bacon, (row 2) Dr. Osterman, Dr. Schorpp on Zoom where Sophie completed her defense!

Congratulations to Sophie Bacon ’20 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her Project was titled “Peer Group Motives and Authenticity: Associations with Self-Presentational Strategies on Social Media “. Her project advisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Lindsey Osterman and Dr. Kristen Schorpp, to oversee her defense.

This research was the culmination of over a year of work, and the next steps are to work towards presenting the findings at a conference and submitting for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Project Abstract: Research has shown that social networking platforms provide a space for identity development, specifically through engaging in different types of self-presentation.  However, research on the relationship between social networking sites (SNS) and identity development is limited and has not been tied directly to peer relationship mechanisms. In this study, I aimed to integrate recent research on self-processes on social media and recent theoretical advances in the role of social media in peer relationships during emerging adulthood. This study looked at social motives including the need for popularity, and the need for belonging, authenticity, and presentation of the real, ideal, and false self. Correlational analyses indicated that authenticity was positively related to real self-presentation and negatively to false self-presentation. The need for popularity was negatively related to real self-presentation and positively to false self-presentation, whereas the need for belonging was unrelated to real-self presentation but was positively associated with false and ideal self-presentation. Regression analyses controlling for each predictor indicated that authenticity was a positive predictor of real self-presentation and a negative predictor of false self-presentation. The need for popularity negatively predicted real self-presentation and positively predicted false self-presentation. The need for belonging and ideal self-presentation were positively associated.

Congratulations again to Sophie Bacon on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Bloghttps://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
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Congratulations Riker Lawrence: Honors Defense!

Riker Lawrence wearing her new Honors in the Major t-shirt!

Congratulations to Riker Lawrence ’20 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her Project was titled “Couples’ Leisure Activity and Expectations for Parenthood”. Her supervisor, Dr. Darcey N. Powell was joined by committee members, Dr. Osterman and Dr. Sweet, to oversee her defense.

Riker Lawerence presenting her project over Zoom!

Abstract: This study aimed to explore how cohabitating individuals’ engagement in leisure activity with their partner is associated with their expectations for parenthood. Specifically, the study examined how individuals’ engagement in and their satisfaction with leisure activities with their partner is associated with their expectations for parenting; specifically, their co-parenting relationship, gatekeeping behaviors, and division of caregiving labor. Using Prolific Academic, participants (N=247) completed an online survey. Correlations were found between participants’ engagement and satisfaction of these leisure activities and their expectations for co-parenting relationship, gatekeeping behaviors, and division of caregiving labor, regardless of their intention to parent and other demographic characteristics. Furthermore, satisfaction of leisure activities was more consistently associated with the parenting expectations than the frequency of engagement in leisure activities. These findings can serve as useful information for marital and family therapists as they work with couples considering adding a baby to their family unit or during the transition to parenthood.

Riker Lawrence received funding for this project through the Roanoke College Research Fellows program and through a portion of Dr. Powell’s Faculty Scholar funds.

Congratulations again to Riker Lawrence on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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Congratulations Rachel Harmon: Honors Defense!

Rachel Harmon holding up her Honors in Psychology t-shirt!

Congratulations to Rachel Harmon ’20 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major and Honors Distinction Project! Her Project was titled “Cross-Cultural Comparison of Caregiver Concerns and Resources for Children with Disabilities”. Her supervisor, Dr. Darcey N. Powell was joined by committee members, Dr. Osterman, Dr. Chad Morris, and Jesse Griffin, to oversee her defense.

Due to having to work remotely off-campus, Rachel Harmon is pictured above on Zoom, the platform in which she used to defend her project!

Abstract: The purpose of the current study was to address a gap in the literature through investigating the differences in experiences of caring for a child with a disability between a developed country, the United States, and a developing country, Mexico. Participants included caregivers of children with disabilities in the US (N = 25) and Mexico (N = 45). Self-report data were collected to measure caregivers’ demographic information, knowledge of resources, positive and negative emotional response, and stress level. Additional observational data was collected regarding the physical resources, educational resources, therapy services, government policies, caregiver reactions, child behavior, and transportation services in each location. Analyses revealed that caregivers in the US reported significantly higher levels of stress compared to caregivers in Mexico. No significant differences were found in caregivers’ knowledge of government policies; however, Mexico caregivers were significantly more satisfied with the policies that they were aware of compared to US caregivers. US caregivers were more aware of support groups/organizations for themselves or their child and were more likely to participate in known support groups. There was no difference in reports of access to educational opportunities; however, US caregivers reported significantly more inclusion opportunities compared to Mexico caregivers. No significant differences were found in caregivers’ belief that their child would one day be employed. There were significant differences in the number of observations made regarding educational resources, therapy services, government policies, and transportation services between the US and Mexico. The findings of the current study provide important information about the effect of culture on the experiences of caring for a child with a disability, which could be useful for professionals who work directly with families and for the development of future resources.

Highlights of the project: Collected research in both southwest VA and the Yucatan of Mexico. To facilitate her data collection, she completed an internship in southwest VA, as well as two internships in Mexico during the summer between her Jr and Sr years. 

Rachel Harmon received funding for this project through Roanoke College Honors Program Downing Distinction Project Award and Psi Chi’s Mamie Phipps Clark Diversity Research Grant. To learn more about this award and on how Rachel collected data while in the Yucatan of Mexico refer back to this blog post, in which she was interviewed last fall!

Congratulations again to Rachel Harmon on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!

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PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT ACADEMIC AWARDS 2020!

During this past week, students were presented with awards from the psychology department! While students are typically presented these awards at the annual academic award ceremony, due to the recent events, the ceremony was unable to be held this year. However, the psychology department went on to recognize the following students and their accomplishments.

“Congratulations to all of the students who won awards in the Psychology Department this year! These are all great honors and well-deserved. We are all proud of your accomplishments and all that you do to make our department great. ” – Dr. Buchholz

This year, the Psychology Department distributed awards to fifteen students:

Lauren Furlow – Senior Scholar – Psychology

Rachel L. Harmon – Karl W. Beck Memorial Prize

Sophia R. Bacon – Curt R. Camac Student Research Award

Riker F. Lawrence – Curt R. Camac Student Research Award

Brittney A. Rowe – The Charles E. Early Award

Morgan J. Hamilton – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Kira N. Hunt – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Abbie L. Joseph – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Grace E. Page – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Vanessa L. Pearson – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Kaillee M. Philleo – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Carly M. Schepacarter – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Mason L. Wheeler – Outstanding Junior Psychology Major

Rachel L. Harmon – The Jan H. Lynch Human Development Concentration Award

Sophia R. Bacon – The Jan H. Lynch Human Development Concentration Award

Emily B. Townley – The Jan H. Lynch Human Development Concentration Award

Casey J. Gough – Psi Chi Achievement Award

To learn more about the awards and honors or their descriptions follow this link!

On behalf of the Psychology Department, congratulations again to all of our students. You have all worked hard, accomplished wonderful things and we look forward to seeing what you will achieve in the future!

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AN INTERVIEW WITH FULBRIGHT ETA CLAIRE KIRCHOFF ’17

Claire Kirchoff ’17

Alumna Claire Kirchoff ’17 recently received notification that she will be serving as a Fulbright ETA in Nepal next year! While at Roanoke College Kirchoff studied psychology and spent time working with Dr. Powell in her research lab. In this post, Kirchoff discusses with a student assistant what she has been up to since graduating from Roanoke College, how she learned about the Fulbright program and advice she has for students considering applying to Fulbright or any other research/internship opportunity.

Can you please tell me a little about yourself?

I am from Nashville, TN and moved back here after college and graduate school in Virginia. I have a dog named Kona who just turned 1 at the beginning of March, and he is being trained as a therapy dog. Currently, I am finishing up the coursework and supervision hours (well, not anymore #covid) for my School Counseling licensure, at the end of which I plan to pursue elementary school counseling positions (following the Fulbright, of course.) I have never held a job that did not involve children or youth in some capacity, and I have always been drawn to education and mental health, though I took a roundabout way to get to where I am now.

What have you been doing since graduating from Roanoke College?

In reference to my last comment above, I told my advisor (Dr. Powell) that I had zero intentions of going into school counseling and that it was the last thing I wanted. Things change, clearly, and 4 years after putting my foot down, here I am about to be a licensed school counselor. Because I thought I didn’t want to go into counseling, I chose a graduate program without a licensure track, which, in hindsight, was poor planning. Immediately after college (2017-18), I attended the University of Virginia for a Master’s in Education, Educational Psychology – Applied Developmental Science (it’s a mouthful, I know.) While I was there, I took just about every opportunity I came across. I worked in a research lab studying the implementation of social-emotional curriculum interwoven with standard science curriculum, I wrote and implemented curriculum for a multi-week summer environmental science and service-learning program for high school students on a Native American Reservation in South Dakota, helped create a mental health team at a summer camp for youth with chronic health conditions (this has a nod to my undergraduate research study, “Emerging Adults’ Perceptions of Peers with Chronic Health Conditions”), I tutored ESL students at a local middle school, and I took as many courses as would fit into my schedule.

Claire Kirchoff’s group while in South Dakota (which included 2 UVA undergrads) at the end of their summer program

(2018-19) After graduate school (literally a week after), I started a year as an AmeriCorps service member in Nashville at a nonprofit serving a very low-income community. Moving back to Nashville was a tough choice because I loved my time in Virginia so much, but it’s home and I’m happy to be back. During my AmeriCorps term, I worked in the K-8 education department at the nonprofit, and I was placed at a middle school in the community (it was actually a charter school drawing students from all over Nashville, so it was very diverse and had a wide spectrum of academic and social-emotional needs). The K-8 education program implements after-school enrichment programs at several schools in the community, and I was basically in charge of the implementation of my school’s after-school programming. I collected and analyzed testing and progress report data, designed reading and math enrichment curriculum for differentiated levels of need, and organized outside community partners for enrichment activities (other nonprofit partners like artists, musicians, science shows/experiments, and volunteers like Vanderbilt football and soccer players, student groups, and others.)

UVA Graduation – Claire with several friends from her own program as well as other friends she made along the way

This year (2019-20), I have been working to complete my supervision hours in school counseling at two local schools with similar levels of socioeconomic challenges, but both are very rural schools, which I was not super used to. I started at an elementary school and had the time of my life. This semester, I was at a middle school in the same community as the elementary school, and having a great experience, then my internship was cut short in early March, just like everyone else in the country/world. Since the schools closed, I went back to working at my part-time job as a preschool teacher at a private pre-k center. We actively try to keep our daily routines as normal as possible for the sake of the kids, but each day they become a little more aware of the issues, and I often hear the older kids saying things like “the sickness” or attempting to say the word coronavirus. It’s a daily battle to keep surfaces clean and kids happy, but we make do and push through.

How did you learn about Fulbright and this opportunity?

I knew about Fulbright in college when I had friends applying (my graduation year there were 6 Fulbright winners and I was friends with 4 of them). What I didn’t know then was that I, too, could apply if I wanted to. These types of opportunities weren’t really advertised to me when I was in college. I wasn’t super eligible to apply right out of college like my friends were, but my experiences and education since college has made me a better candidate for the grant.

Why did you choose Nepal?

There are a few reasons why I chose Nepal. First, I am one of the biggest culture nerds you’d ever meet. I attempt learning new languages for fun when I’m bored, I read books about other countries, cultures, and religions, and actively seek out cultural experiences in my life. When I was thinking about the Fulbright and Jenny Rosti was hounding me to pick a country, Nepal just kept creeping up on me. It stuck with me and I felt the draw to apply.

Secondly, when I was in graduate school, I tutored ESL students at a middle school in Charlottesville. Many of these students were from far-flung areas of the globe, mostly the Middle East and, surprising to me, Nepal. I had never met anyone from Nepal, nor had I thought too much about the country in my life, other than knowing about Mts. Everest and Annapurna. It was really these kids and their stories and culture that led me towards choosing Nepal as my Fulbright application. Side note: I actually wrote a paper about those kids for one of my grad courses, I interviewed them about their experiences immigrating to the US and acclimating to US culture and schooling. It was very interesting and helped me better understand how immigrant students view American schooling and what I, as a school counselor, can do to help them.

Thirdly, and this is the last big reason, is that I want to (someday, hopefully, in the next 5 years or so) go back to school for a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a focus/concentration in anthropology (some schools have dedicated Educational Anthropology programs, but the others have Ed Psych with cross-curricular study in which anthropology is encouraged as an option). As a course of study in my future Ph.D., I want to study how education (non-traditional and traditional ways of viewing education) blossoms even in the least Westernized corners of the world, and how folklore and storytelling are integrated into childrearing as a form of education for those without access to Westernized education. Because of this interest in education’s evolutionary roots, I figured Nepal would be a good place to start.

Can you give any advice for those interested in applying for the Fulbright, or for research/internship experiences in general?

This is a Dr. Powell-ism that has stuck with me since I was a wee duckling in her lab: trust the process. If you put your all into it and you really want it, it will happen for you, even if it doesn’t happen the way you planned. Dive in, give it your 100%, and trust that everything will shake out the way you need it to (but it might not be the way you want it to.)

Take-aways: Trust the process. Be kind to yourself. You’re capable of more than you think.

Dr. Powell was also asked to speak on this accomplishment and stated:

“I’m extremely proud of Claire – what she accomplished as a student at Roanoke and all that she has achieved since! I’m confident that her training and applied experiences have prepared her to succeed as an ETA in Nepal. I’m looking forward to seeing her posts and hearing details about her adventures as a Fulbright when she returns to the states. “
Thank you, Claire, for taking the time to answer our questions and congratulations again on receiving Fulbright! We look forward to hearing about how it goes in the future and will continue to cheer you on!

NCFR Conference 2019!

© ncfr.org

On November 20-23, Dr. Powell took two students to the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Conference in Fort Worth, Texas to present research through poster sessions and to attend presentations. These students included Rachel Harmon ’20 and Morgan Hamilton ’21.

Morgan Hamilton Worked alongside Dr. Powell and presented their poster titled “The Association Between Implicit Theories of Relationships and Emerging Adults’ Expectations for Romantic Relationships,” which was based on a subset of results from Taylor Kracht’s ’18 honors in the major study.

The students have since given some insight onto what it was like presenting at the conference as well as their reactions to the conference and Fort Worth, TX: 

Rachel Harmon and Morgan Hamilton at the NCFR conference

Rachel Harmon

I attended the annual NCFR conference with Dr. Powell and my fellow lab-mate, Morgan. Although I did not present at the conference I enjoyed attending the poster sessions and symposiums that were relevant to my current and future research interests, as well as supporting Morgan and Dr. Powell during their presentation. I specifically enjoyed attending presentations on the topics of disability and immigrant youth and families. Attending this conference was beneficial for me as I am currently applying to graduate programs in Human Development and Family Studies and Clinical Psychology. While I was at the conference I was able to interact and network with professors in Human Development and Family Studies programs as well as to receive feedback on my own research. Attending NCFR also prepared me to present my own research at a conference next semester. I am very thankful that Dr. Powell and Roanoke College encourage their undergraduate students to attend conferences to gain valuable experience in their areas of interest. Overall, I really enjoyed exploring Fort Worth with Dr. Powell and Morgan. The things I enjoyed most about the city were the food and the nice weather! 

Morgan Hamilton and Dr. Powell presenting their poster

Morgan Hamilton

The opportunity to present at NCFR was incredible. Leading up to the poster session, I was very nervous because I had never presented to a group of scholars. After the session began and I had spoken to a few people who gave high praise to our research, my nerves significantly calmed. It was so cool to hear people’s thoughts about how our research applied to their own work. Although presenting was a great experience, my favorite part of the conference was listening to other scholars talk about research they conducted on topics I want to pursue and am truly passionate about. I was able to sit in a room with thirty people who all cared about adolescent mental health and was also able to meet a few professors at graduate programs too. It was fascinating to see how Psychology is growing & gave me great ideas about potential future research I would like. Finally, Fort Worth was such an amazing city! Rachel, Dr. Powell and I spent a lot of time walking around the shops in the city and finding great food along the way. Overall, the experience was something I am super grateful to have been warranted and I’m sure it will stand out as a highlight of my academic career at Roanoke College.

Fort Worth, TX gearing up for the holiday season!

Congratulations to all those who attended the conference and for having a successful presentation! 

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SSEA CONFERENCE 2019!

The students who attended SSEA at dinner

On October 1012, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand and Dr. Powell took three students to the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA) Conference in Toronto, Canada to present research through poster sessions and presentations. These students included Casey Jo Gough ‘20, Sophie Bacon ‘20, and Abbey Packard ‘21. 

Students presented research through two different poster presentations. Casey Jo Gough and Sophie Bacon both worked alongside Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand and presented their poster titled “Emerging Adults’ Social Goals for Peer Status: Associations with Aggressive Reactions to Provocation”. Abbey Packard worked alongside Dr. Powell and presented her poster titled “Teaching self-efficacy of emerging adults across a first-level education course with community-based learning”. 

The students have since given some insight onto what it was like presenting at the conference as well as their reactions to Toronto: 

Sophie Bacon and Casey Jo Gough with the poster they presented

Casey Jo Gough

The opportunity to not only partake in undergraduate research but to then fly out of the country to present at a professional conference was an unforgettable learning experience. This was my first experience leaving the country, and it was fun to explore the streets of Toronto and take in all the sights. Presenting at the conference gave me confidence in my research abilities as I prepare for grad school. I was able to speak to other researchers and received great advice about my career path as a future school psychologist. I think the best part of the conference experience was the opportunity to attend lectures and poster sessions of unpublished research. I was able to speak to other researchers about their studies and look at exciting unpublished data in my areas of interest. I can’t wait to see where my research will take me next! 

Sophie Bacon 

Attending SSEA in Toronto was an incredible experience. Presenting our poster and findings was a really fulfilling experience and everyone who we talked to was so friendly and excited about our interest in research. Also, because I am still unsure of the direction that I want to go in when pursing graduated school, it was so helpful to talk to others who were recently in my shoes! I found walking and looking at all of the other posters to be really informative and eye-opening regarding the knowledge that we can learn about this newly defined stage of life. I felt very lucky that we were able to travel to such a cool place like Toronto, the city felt so walkable and had an abundance of hip-restaurants and soaring skyscrapers!

Abbey Packard

Abbey Packard with the poster she presented

Canada was an amazing experience overall and as an undergraduate research student I gained lots of insight into graduate level research and felt confident being able to present my work to graduate and PhD students. The other presentations were extremely impressive and networking opportunities were all around which is always a bonus! Being able to go to Toronto was a wonderful experience thanks to the help of Dr. Powell! The city was beautiful and was an experience I’ll never forget. 

Dr, Powell

Dr. Powell standing beside the poster students have been working on alongside her

Dr. Powell also presented one poster titled “Emerging Adults’ Bid Responses: A Pilot Study on Romantic Communication” as well as two papers, “How to break up: Individual differences in emerging adults’ normative beliefs about ghosting” and “Emerging adults’ perceptions of what it means to be “Talking””. 

 

One of the paper presentations Dr. Powell gave

The second paper presentation Dr. Powell gave

Congratulations to all those who attended the conference and for having successful presentations! 

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PHI BETA KAPPA INDUCTEES!

The Psychology Department would like to congratulate Rachel Harmon, Riker Lawrence, Emily Townley, and Brittney Rowe on their induction into Phi Beta Kappa. Continue reading to hear from the students themselves! 

Rachel Harmon 

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I am a Senior Psychology Major with a concentration in Human Development. When I received the news that I had been elected into membership of Phi Beta Kappa I was ecstatic and was reassured that all the hard work I have completed while at Roanoke College has paid off. Outside of classes I am the Head Psychology Student Assistant and I am also a Subject Tutor in the Center for Learning and Teaching on campus. I am also a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, Psi Chi, and am the Vice President of Omicron Delta Kappa. I also participate in research in the Psychology department and am a research assistant in Dr. Powell’s Developmental Self-knowledge Laboratory. My biggest accomplishment while at Roanoke College has been my independent study for my Honors Distinction Project titled, “Cross-Cultural Comparison of Caregiver Concerns and Resources for Children with Disabilities”. My original proposal was awarded the Perry and Jessica Downing Distinction Project Award by the director of the Honors Program, and this summer I was a recipient of a 2018-2019 Summer Mamie Phipps Clark Diversity Undergraduate Research Grant from Psi Chi. After graduation I plan to spend a year abroad before pursuing a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies or Clinical Psychology. 

Riker Lawrence 

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My name is Riker Lawrence and I am majoring in psychology as well as getting a concentration in human resource management. Hearing that I was accepted in Phi Beta Kappa was a big moment for me because I have been working towards that since my freshman year of college. It is an honor to be accepted and I couldn’t have done it without Dr. Powell and the rest of my lab mates in her lab. For the majority of my 3+ years at Roanoke College, I have been doing research in the psychology department. I experienced many accomplishments since starting in Dr. Powell’s lab. Although, I think my most proud one is being accepted into Phi Beta Kappa. I have shifted my focus on conducting my own study to present as my honors-in-the-major project that specifically focuses on prenatal leisure time and parent expectations. Conducting this study effectively will be my next goal to accomplish. After I graduate in spring 2020, I will be working with a recruiting team for a newer company back home in Northern Virginia. 

Emily Townley

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I am a psychology major with a concentration in human development and an art history minor. I was really excited when I heard the news and immediately called my mom (who unfortunately did not pick up initially) so we could celebrate together! As for how I’ve spent my time at Roanoke, I am in the Honors Program and have been working on my Distinction Project this past summer and this semester. I’m also a manager and on-call tutor at Subject Tutoring, a campus photographer, and am the historian/in charge of public relations for Psi Chi! Being invited to Phi Beta Kappa is definitely one of my biggest accomplishments, up there with getting the Bittle Scholarship and studying abroad for a semester in Italy. I will be applying to graduate schools in the coming months and I’m hoping to be accepted into a Clinical Psychology PhD program. 

Brittney Rowe

Brittney Rowe is another psychology department student assistant who has also been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and is currently studying abroad!  

Congratulations again to everyone! We look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future! 

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CONGRATULATIONS TO RACHEL HARMON AND DR. POWELL!

© Rachel Harmon

This past summer Rachel Harmon was selected as a recipient of the 2018-2019 Summer Mamie Phipps Clark Diversity Undergraduate Research Grant from Psi Chi, the international psychology honorary, where she spent several weeks in Mexico working on her project titled, “Cross-Cultural Comparison of Caregiver Concerns and Resources for Children with Disabilities.” 

Rachel Harmon was in the list of top 11 applications and so Dr. Powell was awarded a faculty stipend as well. 

A brief interview was done with Harmon to learn more about this project and process: 

Thank you for taking time to answer some questions, to start off, can you describe what the grant process was like and how you discovered it?  

I began the grant application process in December of last year but ended up not submitting the grant until the May due date. I heard about the grant through Dr. Powell, who recommended applying, and advised me throughout the process. The grant required me to provide a concise version of my Literature Review and a brief Methodology section, and all the scales that I would use. I found that the grant helped me to determine the specific methodology I would use for my project and helped me to determine the specific scales that I would use. 

Can you tell me more about your project?  

The title of my project is “Cross-Cultural Comparison of Caregiver Concerns and Resources for Children with Disabilities”. I have collected both observational and quantitative data in both Mexico and the United States to compare the resources that are available for children with disabilities in each country and how this impacts caregiver stress levels and the emotions they feel, regarding caring for their child with a disability. I originally got the idea for my project when I traveled to Nicaragua the summer before my freshman year. While I was walking through a market in Managua, I saw a woman who was working and had her daughter who had a disability in what we would consider a baby stroller. I have worked a lot with individuals, specifically with children with disabilities and developmental delays, and I was naturally compelled to investigate the topic further.  

What drew you to Mexico for this project?  

I was originally supposed to return to Nicaragua for my project, but due to the current political environment, it was not ideal for travel. Jesse Griffin, who serves on the committee of my project knew of several connections that our college has with research facilities and other institutions in the Yucatán. One of the facilities was conveniently across the street from a Centro de Atención Múltiple, which is a government funded special education school, which was a great resource for collecting observational data and distributing surveys.  

 What did a normal day look like for you in Mexico as you worked on this project?

© Rachel Harmon

For the first month I spent in Mexico I was in Oxkutzcab, which was a small, rural town. This was where the C.A.M. school was. Each weekday I would go to the school at 7:30, and I would rotate which classroom I was in each day. The school has seven classes serving student from ages 2-28. Depending on which classroom I was in, I would either observe the class, and participate in class activities, or work one on one with students who needed more individualized attention. The school days in Mexico only last from 7:30 to 12:30, so in the afternoons I would explore or relax, and work on other research tasks.  

I spent the second month in the capital of the Yucatán, Mérida. Here, I was working with an internationally run non-profit called SOLYLUNA. The organization provides special education opportunities and access to physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy for children who have a diagnosis of multiple disabilities and their caregivers. The dynamic of the organization was very different than the C.A.M. school, so it was an adjustment. The organization requires that a caregiver accompanies the child for the full day from 7:30-1:30. My job as a volunteer was to assist the parents when needed, and to observe the teachers and therapists. I also worked with the volunteer coordinator and director of the organization to create a document about potential resources to provide for caregivers, and I took pictures for them to use for promotion purposes. Since I was now in a larger city there was a lot more to explore in the afternoons, and I enjoyed travelling on the weekends.  

You mentioned that you had opportunities to explore while in Mexico, what was the coolest place you visited/most favorite?

© Rachel Harmon

I did have a lot of time to explore while I was in Mexico, especially on the weekends. I enjoyed exploring nearby towns and venturing further to other landmarks. I think my favorite place I traveled to while in Mexico was Isla las Mujeres. This was an island off the coast of Cancún, where we were able to hear lots of live music, enjoy the beach, and go snorkeling. I met a group of other students from Millsaps College, in Mississippi while I was there, and I enjoyed traveling with them and meeting them at different places on some weekends.   

If given the opportunity would you go back and work, there again?  

© Rachel Harmon

© Rachel Harmon

Absolutely! While I was there, I formed a lot of connections with the kids, caregivers, teachers and therapists that I was working with and I would love to see them again (I miss them a lot)! It was hard to leave such amazing people, and such an amazing place.   

 Is there anything else you would like us to know?  

Overall, my experiences in Mexico taught me more than I could have ever imagined. I especially learned a lot about collecting data in another culture, which is an experience I consider myself lucky to have had at this point in my academic career. Whether it is through research, or a different study abroad program, I highly recommend spending time in another country to everyone, because it allows you to learn so much about yourself and the world.  

Congratulations again to Rachel Harmon and Dr. Powell and thank you for taking time to answer some questions!

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Riker Lawrence ’21 at the Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Research Conference 2019

Riker Lawrence ’21 discusses her experience presenting at the Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Research Conference below.

Attending the Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Research Conference last weekend was an interesting experience for me. In the past, I have attended conferences that mainly focused on behavioral science. This conference included multiple different fields of research, so I learned many new concepts in fields such as physics, wood science, and chemistry. I enjoyed learning about information that I wouldn’t normally research on in my specific field. My poster presentation focused on Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and workplace attitudes. Specifically, my lab mate and I examined associations between PsyCap, well-being, and how employees write about their jobs. We also explored the usefulness of Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs in coding participants’ writings about their jobs, because his theory can be used to explain human needs. Overall, I thought the conference was well organized and provided a good research experience to undergraduates.

Congratulations to Lawrence for her successful presentation on Psychological Capital and workplace attitudes!

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Phi Beta Kappa Inductees!

The Psychology Department would like to congratulate Sarah Waldinger, Molly Zydel, Megan Blackwell, Erin “Micky” McDonnell, and Alicia Mitchell on their induction to Phi Beta Kappa. Continue reading to hear from the students themselves.

Sarah Waldinger

My name is Sarah Waldinger and I am a double major in Psychology and Political Science.  I was surprised and honored to be invited to join Phi Beta Kappa, and am so thankful for all of the opportunities Roanoke College has given me.  Throughout my time here I have been able to travel to Poland and Ukraine on a May Term, go to leadership conferences through my sorority, work on campus in the Writing Center, and volunteer extensively downtown.  [In particular,] I volunteered with REACH, which is a nonprofit that focuses on the Southeast of Roanoke.  We worked with the Rescue Mission, CYP, Pathways, the SPCA, and renovated abandoned homes.  That is definitely not an exhaustive list, but REACH was the name of the main program.

I am happy to say that next year I will be working with Teach for America in Alabama – I would like to thank everyone in the Psychology department and throughout the college who helped me to achieve everything I could have wanted in the past four years!

Molly Zydel

My name is Molly Zydel, and I am a Psychology major with a minor in Sociology. I am so excited and honors to have been invited to Phi Beta Kappa! Dr. Powell, since she is my advisor, actually got the chance to tell me in person before she sent out the emails! That was really cool, and I am glad to have experienced that the way I did. Throughout my time here at Roanoke, I have been involved in research, gone on May Term to Thailand, served on the Honors Executive Board as the Mentor Program Chairperson, and volunteered at the West End Center for Youth and the Community Youth Program. Currently, I am also a member of Psi Chi (the International Honors Society for Psychology), Alpha Kappa Delta (the International Honors Society for Sociology), and the Roanoke College Honors Program. Specifically with research, I have been working on my Honors Distinction Project, which focuses on former foster care youth and their perceptions of themselves concerning their academic self-efficacy, resiliency, and their attachment style. Essentially, I am surveying this population on their beliefs about themselves concerning their ability to accomplish school-related tasks. I am also surveying foster parents on their perceptions of foster care youth on the same constructs. After graduation this May, I hope to be joining the workforce, possibly working in Human Resources and Recruiting. I am so excited to become a part of Phi Beta Kappa!

Megan Blackwell

My name is Megan Blackwell. I’m a senior Psychology and Biology double major with a concentration in Neuroscience. I’m ecstatic about my invitation to join Phi Beta Kappa! It was a huge surprise for me and I could not be happier about it. It’s a huge honor and affirmation that my hard work here at Roanoke has paid off. In my time here, I’ve been involved with several student groups including Psi Chi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Alpha Sigma Alpha, SAACS, and many others. I’ve served as the Vice President of Psi Chi, the secretary of Omicron Delta Kappa, the secretary of SAACS, and at various times the secretary, treasurer, and coffee shop coordinator of our Honors Program. I also had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland and Denmark to study the origins of modern physics for my May Term. For the past two years, I have been doing research at the Salem Veteran Affairs Medical Center. I’ve been involved on several protocols as a research assistant there and have had the opportunity to carry out my own research project, “Cognitive Reserve and Resilience in Veterans with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.” As of right now, I don’t know what my next steps are after graduation, but I’m confident in saying my experiences at Roanoke have more than prepared me for a career and life after I move on from here.

Erin “Micky” McDonnell

I am Erin McDonnell, or “Micky”, as I’m more commonly known as around campus. I am a Psychology major, concentrating in Neuroscience. I came to Roanoke not having a clue as to what I wanted to do or even study. Roanoke College has afforded me the opportunities to explore, the tools to succeed, and the motivation to pursue everything without discounting any of my interests. Phi Beta Kappa is an enormous honor that I am so thankful to have received and am excited to be a part of. These four years, in addition to the unique curriculum, I have been able to conduct my own research, travel all over Greece, work in theater, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and hold many different leadership positions within various organizations.

In my final year, I have been preparing to enter the field of scientific research by working inter-departmentally to complete a Behavioral Neuroscience Independent Study research project. This project involves exposing varying concentration levels of a tin compound to Danio rerio (AKA zebrafish) in order to see how it affects brain development and response to startling stimuli. It will be a privilege to continue working, now through the community that is Phi Beta Kappa. Thank you to everyone who got me to where I am today and will be in the future.

And other our inductee, Alicia Mitchell, who graduated from Roanoke College in December of 2018.

Congratulations to everyone! We look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future and we’ll be cheering you on from the fifth floor of Life Science (until it’s renovated, then from different floors!)

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Molly Zydel ’19 at MadRush

Molly Zydel discusses her recent presentation at JMU for the 10th Annual MadRush Undergraduate Conference below. 

I presented part of my Honors in the Major/Distinction Project at the 10th Annual MadRush Undergraduate Conference hosted by James Madison University on Saturday, March 16th. The presentation focused on part of the larger project, which seeks to understand foster parents’ perceptions of former foster care youth, former foster care youth’s perceptions of themselves, and college students perceptions of former foster care youth on different aspects of their academic identity, specifically academic self-efficacy, resiliency, and academic expectations and attainment. The presentation at MadRush focused on the data I have collected from foster parents concerning their perceptions of foster care youth on these constructs.

Rather than your typical poster presentation session, I had the chance to give an actual presentation in front of a room concerning the project. The presentation went very well, as did the following discussion. The session consisted of 3 total presentations, all from different disciplines, that all in some way focused on populations of youth who are not the normal. There was a presentation on juvenile sex offenders, one on the orphan trains, and my presentation. It went very well, and it was interesting to see how different disciplines connect together to engage in a conversation about youth from different perspectives. Overall, I enjoyed the conference!

Thank you to Molly Zydel for taking time to tell us about her research and presentation at MadRush! Congratulations on your successful presentation and we look forward to seeing what you will do in the future!

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Just for fun.

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Congratulations to Noelle Warfford ’19

The psychology department would like to congratulate Noelle Warfford ’19 on her acceptance to The University of Toldeo’s Clinical Psychology PhD program!

Recently I received an offer of admission to The University of Toledo’s Clinical Psychology PhD program to work with Dr. Joni Mihura. Since this had been my top choice school, I happily accepted. I’ll start this fall, and I’ll be doing research on developing a short form of the Rorschach-Performance Assessment System to assess for thought disorder in first-episode psychosis.                                         

                                                                   – Noelle Warfford ’19

University of Toledo

We are incredibly proud of Noelle and will be cheering her on from the fifth floor of Life Science. 🙂

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Studying in Perugia, Italy: Hayley Mulford ’20

To start off, can you tell me a little about you?

I am a junior and psychology major. I am in Chi Omega and do research with Dr. Osterman. I volunteer with Best Buddies and the Salem Food Pantry.

Where did you study abroad? Why did you choose to study there and what was it like? Was it different from what you were expecting?

I went to Perugia, Italy. I chose this place to study Amanda Knox but it didn’t end up happening. It was a smaller city, so I was very immersed in the culture. The people were super friendly. The Umbra Institute gave a much heavier work load [than I was expecting], but it kept me prepared for returning to Roanoke.

What were some of your favorite moments while abroad?

Being able to travel all around Italy and see every part. When you travel to different parts of Italy it is almost like you entered a different country. I also loved visiting Amsterdam.

What were you most worried about in terms of studying abroad?

Being able to go all the places I wanted while still handling the work load.

Did anything happen that you weren’t expecting? Were there any moments that particularly struck you while abroad? Tell me about them.

The public transport could be a little iffy, so sometimes a bus or train would be missed. The difference in culture struck me because Italians are much more laid back and collectivist than America.

What did you learn while abroad? This is not limited to just coursework (though certainly talk about the types of courses you were able to take) but also about the culture or cultures you interacted with and, cheesy as it is, yourself as well.

I learned a lot about organizational behavior psychology, which I never thought I would. I learned I like laid back culture, but it is annoying when I am in a rush and no one else is.

The courses I took were: Criminal Behavior, Human Development in Culture, Organizational Behavior, Italian Immigration, and Italian.

What do you miss the most?

The food and the welcoming people I saw all the time. Just the atmosphere in general.

Tell me about your plans for the future. How will you apply what you learned while abroad to help you?

I think I can use the way that I adapt to any culture extremely well as a tool for applying to different jobs and higher education. I may even continue my higher education in another country.

Do you have any advice for other students interested in studying abroad?

You should do it and not make excuses for it.

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Emily Townley in Perugia, Italy

Emily Townley ’20 in Switzerland

Emily Townley is one of the three psychology students who studied in Perugia, Italy last semester. During her study abroad experience, she was able to travel to Switzerland and Venice, engage Italian school children in English language learning through fun games during her class’s field trip, go paragliding, eat some truly delicious food, meet some incredible people, and all around have a fantastic experience abroad (except for that one trip to the hospital in the beginning). Read on to learn more about her experience abroad. Enjoy!

To start off, can you tell me a little about you?

I am a Psychology major with an Art History minor. I’m in the Honors Program and part of Psi Chi. I’m originally from Richmond, Virginia.

Where did you study abroad? Why did you choose to study there and what was it like? Was it different from what you were expecting?

I studied abroad in Perugia, Italy. If the name sounds familiar to you, it might be because the Amanda Knox trial happened there. Luckily no drama like that occurred while I was there.

I never planned on studying abroad in Italy. In fact, I was looking more at Northern European countries like the Netherlands or Denmark since I had already been to Italy. However, when I saw that the Umbra Institute (the school I studied at) offered a multicultural psychology program, I began considering it more seriously. After looking up pictures of the gorgeous town, I decided that this was where I was meant to be.

Overall, Perugia met my expectations of being a charming, Italian hilltop town. If I had to pick a way that it was different from what I was expecting, it was much livelier than I expected it to be. When I had gone to Italy before, my favorite places were the smaller towns like Siena, rather than the hustle and bustle of cities like Rome. However, I did fear that Perugia would get to be too quiet and I would begin to get stir crazy. That never happened though! The hardest part of the small-town life was that if I ever wanted to fly somewhere, it was a three-hour train ride to the airport, but I got used to that.

What were some of your favorite moments while abroad?

Dessert in Perugia, Italy

One of my favorite moments while abroad was when my friends and I went to lunch in Cortona, Italy. Cortona was only an hour train ride away from Perugia, so it was a great opportunity to see some of Tuscany (also one of my friends loves the movie Under the Tuscan Sun which takes place there).

It was about 2:00 pm when we arrived which was a bit late for lunch in Italy and we were very hungry, so we just went to the first place that was still open. And what a place it was! When we first sat down, we were given fresh prosecco which immediately clued us in that this was no ordinary restaurant. After ordering, we were then brought fresh, warm bread rolls and then a small, artfully plated bowl of pea soup. Our entrees were then brought out and none of us could talk because we were just so amazed at how good the food was. Finally, we ordered dessert which was the grand finale of our fabulous meal. I ordered an apple pastry which was presented inside of a chocolate dome which then had melted chocolate poured on top of it to reveal the pasty in the shape of a rose. At this point, our friends and I were almost screaming in delight. The rest of our day we couldn’t stop talking about how surprising the meal was and how it was the best dining experience we had ever had.

Paragliding in Switzerland

Another one of my favorite moments happened during my solo trip to Switzerland. I had wanted to go see the Alps for a very long time but had tried to keep a realistic mindset that I might not make it out there while abroad. Flights were expensive and my schedule was already busy; I figured it was a lost cause. However, the planets aligned in the end, and though I had to go alone, I managed to find some train tickets that would take me to a town right in the heart of the Swiss Alps: Interlaken. While there were many magical moments that happened while I was there, like watching the sunset from the Harderkulm and paragliding, probably the most striking moment was when I was in the mountain top town, Mürren. It’s only accessible by cable car which made it feel like it was almost out of a fairy tale because of the lack of cars. It’s hard to describe exactly how it felt to be so high up in the mountains and to see the snow-capped summits of the Alps in person. In some ways, it was the most peaceful I’ve ever felt.

The Alps

What were you most worried about in terms of studying abroad?

Honestly, I was very scared about not making friends. I went to camp for three weeks every summer when I was younger and never really connected with anyone despite going for five years. I was very nervous the same thing would happen again, except this time I would be stranded in a different country for four months with no one to hang out with. Luckily, those fears were unfounded! I formed some great friendships while I was abroad with some wonderful people that I hope I get to travel with again in the future.

Did anything happen that you weren’t expecting? Were there any moments that particularly struck you while abroad? Tell me about them.

There was certainly one thing that happened that I was not expecting. That would have to be my five-day stint in the hospital my first week there. I arrived on Friday and by Wednesday I found myself in an Italian ER with a stabbing pain in my side. That pain turned out to be a kidney stone! Once I was in the hospital and on pain medicine it wasn’t as scary anymore but [everything] leading up to that point was quite stressful. My mom was ready to drop a few thousand dollars to fly over to be with me (and thank God she didn’t). The care I received in the hospital was phenomenal and I was lucky enough to have another girl in my study abroad program there with me for some of the time so I wasn’t alone (she had a seizure on the bus ride from the airport :O).

What did you learn while abroad? This is not limited to just coursework (though certainly talk about the types of courses you were able to take) but also about the culture or cultures you interacted with and, cheesy as it is, yourself as well.

Something that makes the Umbra Institute different from some other study abroad programs was their emphasis on the “study” portion of the phrase. For many people, they would find this annoying, and I definitely did at times too when I just wanted to travel, but I couldn’t because I had an Italian exam or another field trip to Assisi. However, I’d say it was definitely beneficial in the end. It has made the transition back into Roanoke a little smoother because it’s not like I took a whole semester off.  Also, all the classes I took were really interesting and taught me a lot! I took two art history courses to go towards my minor and two psychology courses to go towards my major. While the art history courses were interesting in their own right, I’ll just talk about the psych courses considering this is a psychology blog post.

Left-to-right: friend, Dr. Kessenich, and Emily Townley

The two courses were Human Development in Culture and Criminal Behavior. They were both taught by a wonderful professor, Doris Kessenich, who was a joy to learn from given her experience in the fields she was teaching. Our class sizes were very small (maybe eight people) so they would be extremely discussion based, which normally would worry me, but I just felt so comfortable in her classes that I participated a lot. We even took a surprisingly fun field trip to an Italian middle school as part of the Human Development class where we got to help the kids with their English skills by playing games like Heads Up.

On a more personal level, I learned to be a lot more independent. Before studying abroad, I had concluded there was no way I would ever travel by myself. My friend, Becca, had studied abroad the semester before in Spain and had sworn by traveling by herself, but the prospect scared me. I was worried I would get lost or miss a connecting train or flight or a multitude of other world ending catastrophes. But, when push came to shove, my desire to travel to Switzerland outweighed any of my previous fears. And when everything went smoothly in Switzerland, I found myself doing it again to go to Venice on my own. While there were definitely some aspects of traveling alone that annoyed me (mainly not having anyone to take pictures of me at sites so having to rely on strangers/selfie sticks/self-timers), there were also some huge upsides! I got to make my own schedule, got to decide exactly what I wanted to do and when I wanted to do it, and I was able to make more spontaneous decisions that I could never make when traveling with other people.

What do you miss the most?

The ease of travel is definitely something I miss a lot. Things are a lot cheaper in Europe, more efficient, and closer together. For just $50 and about five hours of your time, you could find yourself in a completely different country and culture. Back home, you could drive for five hours and still be in Virginia.

I also miss the friends I made abroad. Luckily, my program was for American students, so all my friends live in the U.S., but we’re still pretty far out. Just in my friend group there was someone from California and another from Minnesota, so it will be hard to see them in person in the future. Thank God for technology though!

One last thing I definitely miss is this pasta I would get all the time in Perugia. It was called Pasta alla Norcina and I always got it at this one restaurant called Ferrari. While there were many other delicious foods I had while abroad, this will definitely be what I miss the most, especially because it was a specialty to the area.

Tell me about your plans for the future. How will you apply what you learned while abroad to help you?

In my Human Culture in Development class we learned about the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. My final paper for the class, I wrote about how I believed I developed along this model. By the end of my study abroad experience I believe I had reached the Adaption stage, which is when one is able to behave and think in ways that are in line with the new culture. In other words, I think I learned how to be more culturally sensitive and how to adapt better when in other cultures. In the future I hope to find my opportunities to travel and I hope that I can be able to adapt more easily to new cultures because of my time abroad.

Do you have any advice for other students interested in studying abroad?

Don’t be afraid to travel on your own. Making friends isn’t as scary as you think because everyone is nervous about making friends, just be yourself and you’ll find your crew. It might depend on the program, but remember it is called study abroad so be prepared to actually do some schoolwork. Savor every moment, it goes by faster than you think.

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Congratulations to Aislinn Foutz: Honors Defense

Congratulations to Aislinn Foutz ’19 for her successful Honors in the Major and Honors Distinction Project defense last semester! Her project was titled “Parental and Peer Factors in Children’s Theory of Mind Development” and Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand was her advisor. Foutz is now working towards building off of this work and applying to graduate programs to continue studying Theory of Mind. She also has a presentation under review to present this work at the Society for Research on Child Development in the Spring.

Aislinn Foutz describes her project and how she felt about defending it below:

For my Honors in the Major/Distinction Project, I collected parent-reports of children’s theory of mind and various other parental and peer/social variables and found a number of significant associations. For instance, theory of mind was positively associated with variables such as parental willingness to serve as an attachment figure, closeness in parent-child relationships, mind-mindedness, and pro-social behavior, whereas theory of mind was negatively associated with conflict in parent-child relationships and various peer difficulties (e.g., peer problems). Follow-up analyses revealed child age, closeness, and mind-mindedness seem to be especially important to children’s theory of mind development, and that, although these associations were significant throughout early, middle, and late childhood, the closeness-theory of mind relationship was strongest in early childhood. I am aiming to extend this research in several ways, primarily by examining how various sub-types of theory of mind (e.g., belief and desire) may relate differently to these parental and peer factors.

Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand was my research mentor for this project and working with her was a great experience. Whenever I needed help, she was always readily available. She also helped me sharpen my research skills while challenging me to learn new ones.

Although I was nervous for my defense, I was also excited for the opportunity to share my research. Successfully defending my distinction/honors in the major project was a rewarding experience, and now I’m looking forward to continuing to extend this research.

Congratulations again to Aislinn Foutz ’19! Thank you for taking time to answer our questions! We look forward to seeing what you will accomplish in the future.

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A Longer Look: Alina Marino ’20 in Perugia, Italy

As a follow-up to the previous article “A Quick Look: Alina Marino in Perugia, Italy” , Marino ’20 expands on her experiences studying in Italy in the fall of 2018. In addition to describing some of her favorite experiences, she also provides advice for those looking to study abroad in the future. In particular, Marino discusses the importance of finding a country that most closely aligns with your personality, lifestyle, and habits; she also discusses her experiences with culture shock.  

To start off, can you tell me a little about you?

I am a junior with a double major in psychology and criminal justice. I am from Long Island, NY. I am a member of Psi Chi, Alpha Phi Sigma, and Xi Theta Chi. I am also a sister of Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Where did you study abroad? Why did you choose to study there and what was it like? Was it different from what you were expecting?

I studied abroad in Perugia, Italy. I chose the country of Italy for my studies because I had previously taken Italian for six years and wanted to be able to improve my speaking skills. I specifically chose Perugia because out of the places in Italy to study abroad that Roanoke works with, the Umbra Institute (in Perugia) had the best options for psychology classes.

Italy is a beautiful country. It is one of those places you can feel how old everything is. The culture and way of life there is extremely laid-back. It was a little different than I expected, since I did not realize how regional everything is. For example, in Umbria (the region I was in), you can basically only find traditional Umbrian food. Pride in your specific region is a huge part of Italian culture.

What were some of your favorite moments while abroad?

As someone with a deep appreciation for food and cooking, most of my favorite memories revolve around food. My favorite memory is when my best friend Hayley and I took a weekend trip to Bologna. Bologna is known in Italy as one of the best places to eat, so I was very excited. Compared to other cities in Italy, like Rome or Venice,

Bologna is less of a tourist destination. It was less crowded than some of the other places I visited so I felt like I was really able to get more of a “true” Italian experience. We spent the weekend eating regional food, drinking the local wine, and exploring the city.

What were you most worried about in terms of studying abroad?

I was mainly worried about how much I would miss my friends and family.

Did anything happen that you weren’t expecting? Were there any moments that particularly struck you while abroad? Tell me about them.

I did not expect to have culture shock as bad as I did. I had looked into Italian culture, but it still did not prepare me as much as I would have liked. Before going away, I didn’t really think culture shock was that big of a deal, but it is. I am a very type “A” person and that does not really work in a place where you live life day-to-day and carefree.

What did you learn while abroad? This is not limited to just coursework (though certainly talk about the types of courses you were able to take) but also about the culture or cultures you interacted with and, cheesy as it is, yourself as well.

While abroad, I took three psychology courses; organizational behavior, human development in culture, and criminal behavior. My OB class was taught by an American that had been living in Italy for over ten years. It was interesting to see his perception of OB from a multicultural lens. My other two courses were taught by a German that had been living in Italy for over twenty-five years. Her view of development in culture was intriguing because she had multiple cultural backgrounds that were blended into one.

The biggest thing I learned about myself is that I will not step out of my comfort zone if I do not need to. I already had somewhat of an idea that I was like this but being in a completely new country helped to reinforce this.

What do you miss the most?

The food! Hands down.

Tell me about your plans for the future. How will you apply what you learned while abroad to help you?

My plans for the future are to go to graduate school for forensic psychology. Studying abroad did not change or impact this decision. However, studying abroad did solidify that I will be living in America. Being in Italy made me realize how grateful I am to live in America.

Do you have any advice for other students interested in studying abroad?

My advice to students studying abroad is to know yourself – look into various countries and see what you think would work best with your personality. Don’t just study abroad in a place because everyone says it is beautiful (that’s where you go vacation!!). By picking a country that values the same things you do, I think it would help alleviate some of the culture shock you may experience. Do not feel guilty that you aren’t having the “most amazing time” like everyone claims to have. Everyone is different and your feelings about the experience – good, bad, somewhere in between – are still valid and acceptable.

Something I personally did when I was feeling down is remind myself of the amazing opportunity I had. Living in a different country is something not a lot of people can say they have done. Even if in the moment you are miserable, you will be able to look back fondly on your time and how much you have grown as an individual.

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A Quick Look: Alina Marino in Perugia, Italy

Student Alina Marino, a Psychology and Criminal Justice major, briefly discusses the highlights of her experiences studying abroad in Perugia, Italy below. 

Image result for perugia italy

Name: Alina Marino

Where I studied: Perugia, Italy

Courses: Human Development in Culture, Organizational Behavior, Criminal Behavior [to name a few].

Favorite memory: My best friend and I studied abroad together so there are a lot of memories to choose from! However, I would have to say the best time I had is when we took a girls trip to Bologna, Italy. We spent the weekend tasting the local delicacies and touring the beautiful city.Related image

Application: One of my professors abroad is a Forensic Psychologist, which is the field I would like to get into. She was able to tell me personally some of the daily tasks forensic psychologists do which was helpful to me.

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Thank you to Alina for giving us a brief look into your experience abroad! It sounds like you had an incredible time in Italy. 

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Congratulations to Kiah Coflin and Dr. Powell!

Last month, Kiah Coflin and Dr. Powell were awarded funding for Coflin’s HIM project, “Factors impacting emerging adults’ bid responses in romantic relationships,” from Psi Chi, the International Psychology Honors Society. They were selected as recipients for one of the 2018-2019 Fall Undergraduate Research Grants.

Generally, funding is only provided to the student. However, because Coflin’s proposal scored within the top 11 applications, Dr. Powell was also awarded a faculty stipend.

Kiah Coflin describes her project below and how she felt upon learning she had gotten the research grant:

For my project, I am conducting a survey on Emerging Adults (ages 18-25) on their romantic relationships/dating trends. We will be looking to see how the individuals chose to react and communicate in a series of vignettes that I have created in a set up similar to the ‘Choose your own Adventure’ books we read as children. With this, I’m hoping to gain a better understanding of the reasons and process behind why individuals choose to break up with their significant other.

Upon receiving the email from Psi Chi, I was incredibly appreciative of their interest in my project and their kind words. It was a wonderful email to receive in the midst of finals week, and makes me feel even more driven than I previously was to go through with this project. Of course, I have always been interested in this HIM proposal, but I was glad to find out others believed it was equally as interesting and notable among all of the other grant applications they received.

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A Brief Interview with Vanessa Pearson ’21, A Gilman Scholarship Recipient!

A student assistant recently interviewed Vanessa Pearson ’21, a Gilman Scholarship recipient, on her plans for studying abroad this upcoming Spring semester and what the application process for the Gilman was like. 

To start off, can you tell me a little about yourself? 

I am a sophomore here at Roanoke. I am majoring in Psychology and Education with a concentration in Human Development. I am originally from Franklin County, VA, about forty minutes away from Salem. On campus, I am a part of Colleges Against Cancer and Habitat for Humanity. Off campus, I work a part time job as a waitress/cook/manager at a restaurant in my hometown. I also play rec volleyball in my free time.

Congratulations on receiving the Gilman Scholarship! Can you tell me a little about program, what the application process was like, and where you are going to be studying?

I am going through an international student exchange program to Australia. I will be studying at James Cook University in Queensland. The application process for James Cook University was surprisingly easy. I did not have to write any admission papers on anything like that. I think the hardest part about that application was trying to figure out what classes I wanted to take since they had to go on the application so that they could get approved. 

The application for the Gilman Scholarship was a little more complex. There were a bunch of different parts to it. The biggest part of the Gilman was the essay section. You needed to have two essays explaining why you are a good candidate for it and what will you do to promote the Gilman and study abroad if you receive it.

What drew you to studying abroad in Australia?

I am not one hundred percent sure what drew me to studying in Australia. I was at a study abroad meeting and Dr. Boggs-Parker was going over all of the different places you could study [and] when she said Australia it clicked. [I felt like] that was it, that was where I needed to go.

Also, the warmer weather doesn’t hurt.

Another part of me going to Australia is that I want to work in the education system. I thought it would be really interesting to see how education works on a different side of the globe. I also needed to go somewhere that I would be able to understand what others are saying since I would not be studying a language while abroad.

What are you the most excited about in terms of studying abroad (both in general and specific to Australia)?

I am excited to experience something new. I am a commuter at Roanoke, so I [want] to [know] what it feels like to live on campus. I am also excited to travel around the world.

In terms of sightseeing, I really want to go to the Great Barrier Reef and also hike around several places. I am excited to make new friendships and I really want to pet a kangaroo and hold a koala bear.

What courses are you most interested in taking while there?

I am really excited about taking Modern Australian History. I think that it is cool that I will be learning about history through the eyes of a different country. I am also excited to take my education class because I want to see and learn from different education systems.

What advice would you have for those interested in applying to competitive scholarships/grants like Gilman?

I would say do not wait until the last minute. Start the application process as soon as possible; have someone read over your draft and, for lack of better words, tear it apart. I wrote four drafts before making small corrections to the final one. I would also go through the application and make sure you are not going to have any last-minute questions [to complete] before the deadline, that way you can ensure they are answered.

Is there anything else you would like add?

The only thing that I would add is that there is always hope for getting a scholarship you want. Write your application with purpose and meaning. Also, get Dr. Rosti to read over your application, that woman is a saint.

Thank you, Vanessa, for taking time to answer our questions! We know you will have a fantastic time studying abroad and hope you will share some of your favorite memories upon returning to campus next school year (including petting kangaroos and holding koalas)!

For those interested in learning more about the Gilman Scholarship, click on the logo below to go to their official website.

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An Interview with Thompson ’19

What is your name, class year, and your majors/minors/concentrations?

My name is Becca Thompson and I am a senior. I will be graduating with a major in Psychology and concentration in Human Development. I also have minors in Spanish and Sociology.

Where did you study abroad?

I studied abroad in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

What was your favorite moment while abroad?

My favorite moments while abroad (because they are tied!!) would be going to an All Blacks Rugby game, skydiving from 17,000 feet over the gorgeous Lake Taupo, and exploring the only active marine volcano in New Zealand on an island named White Island or Whakaari.

What were you most worried about in terms of studying abroad?

I was worried about being literally on the other side of the world from my family (Maryland to NZ, couldn’t have gone any further away!) I was also worried about missing my pets, let’s be honest.

What did you learn while abroad? (Not just in terms of coursework, but about the culture and, cheesy as it is, yourself?)

I learned about different mental healthcare practices through my abnormal psychology class, which I found very interesting. I also learned about the indigenous people to New Zealand, the Māori. About myself, I learned how strong I am and I furthered my passion of traveling!

Palmerston North

Did anything happen that you weren’t expecting? Similarly, were there any moments that particularly struck you while abroad?

I definitely did not expect to meet some of my best friends while abroad. Although we are located all over the place, we still talk often and cannot wait to plan a reunion. There were many twists and turns during my time abroad, but each adventure had its own purpose and lessons.

What are your plans for the future and how will you use what you learned while studying abroad to help you?

Studying abroad helped me to realize my interest in social work through the introduction class I took with one of the best professors I’ve ever had. This class helped me to realize that I would like to pursue child advocacy/family law in order to create change here in America. I would love to go to school in NZ to gain a better and more in-depth understanding of their social work practices, which strive to include all cultures and all people in a respectful manner.

Any advice for other students interested in studying abroad?

Just GO! Studying abroad changed my life and opened up so many doors for me. My time in New Zealand helped me to realize what I would like to pursue after college. I met so many incredible people and I now have an incredible core group of friends spread throughout the United States, as well as an extended family in Palmerston North.

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A Quick Look: Thompson in New Zealand

Rebecca Thompson ’19

During the spring of 2018, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Palmerston North, New Zealand. While abroad I had the chance to take ‘Abnormal and Therapeutic Psychology,’ which gave an interesting overview to how different countries treat different psychological conditions. My favorite part of the class came through the literature review project we had at the end of the semester. I chose to complete my literature review on eating disorders. My future career plans are veering more towards social work and a law degree, but my background in psychology will help me to understand some of the situations my future clients may be going through. My favorite memory while abroad is skydiving from 17,000 feet over Lake Taupo!

Thanks to Rebecca Thompson for providing this cool description of her study abroad experience in Palmerston North, New Zealand! It sounds like an incredible and worthwhile adventure, though we are glad to have you back on campus.

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Congrats to Cody Dillon-Owens!

Cody Dillon-Owens ’19

A student assistant recently caught up with senior Cody Dillon-Owens, who was selected as one of eight recipients of a 2018-19 Psi Chi Undergraduate Scholarship worth $3,000!

For Cody,

…Being a part of Psi Chi gave me the opportunity to apply to this scholarship, which I did so at the suggestion of one of my professors. I didn’t know if I would get it because it was a national level scholarship, but I am super grateful that I was one of the few selected to receive it. This scholarship actually allowed me to more or less cover the rest of my costs for senior year, so I’ll be able to focus on saving up for graduate school and getting an apartment next year. That reduced financial burden is a huge stress reliever and I’ll be able to better focus on my studies.

According to Psi Chi’s Scholarship Review Committee and the Board of Directors, Cody’s application “truly stood out to the judges as this year’s Undergraduate Scholarships had just over 165 applications.”

Congratulations Cody from everyone at the psychology department!

More Information:

Cody is the Head Student Assistant in the Psychology Department and works with Dr. Buchholz on Alumni Relations and Career Development. He is currently pursuing a B.S. in Psychology, with a concentration in Human Development; Cody was awarded the Fintel Senior Scholarship, among other awards. You can find his LinkedIn page here.

 

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An Interview with Fulbright Scholar, Kaitlin Busse ’18

Kaitlin Busse ’18 (far left)

Kaitlin Busse, a senior majoring in psychology and a student assistant for the department, was recently awarded an open study/research Fulbright grant for Denmark.

In this post, Busse discusses with a student assistant what she will be doing while in Denmark, how she learned about the Fulbright program, and advice she has for students considering applying to Fulbright and any other research/internship opportunity.

Can you tell me a little about yourself and what you will be doing in Denmark?

I am a psychology major, sociology minor, and human resources concentration, and my interests are in organizational psychology. I was awarded an open study/research Fulbright grant to Denmark and I will be in Copenhagen from August 2018 until June 2019. I will take master level classes at Copenhagen Business School, where I plan to take classes about leadership and organizational change, employee identity, and diversity management, and about Danish culture and how it influences their organizations.

While there, I am also planning to assist my affiliate, Dr. Sara Louise Muhr, with a project she is working on about improving organizational cultures for women in academia in the European Union. Part of the Fulbright experience involves a project in which you immerse yourself in the community. I am planning to partner with an organization called, Crossing Borders, where I will help teach professional development skills to refugees in Denmark.

Click on the picture above to learn more about Crossing Borders.

How did you learn about the opportunity?

I actually learned about Fulbright while on my May Term to Sri Lanka. My professor, Dr. Katherine Hoffman, was a Fulbright ETA (she taught English) in Sri Lanka, and we interacted with their Fulbright Commission. I did not actually think about applying for a Fulbright until the second semester of my Junior year. I had just gotten back from studying abroad in the Netherlands and I loved immersing myself in another culture. After I came back, I received an email from Dr. Rosti about a Fulbright Information Session meeting.

What made you choose Denmark?

I wanted to go to Denmark because they are known for the great working environments and are constantly ranked one of the best places to work (and also one of the happiest countries)! My research interests lie in creating better work environments, especially in relation to work-family issues, which is what the Danes are known for! Also, I initially planned to study abroad in Denmark, but the program was cancelled during the semester that I wanted to go abroad.

Can you give any advice for those interested in applying for the Fulbright, or for research/internship experiences in general?

To people who are thinking about applying for Fulbright, I would say DO IT! It is a lot of work and it is extremely competitive to receive an award, but you develop so much personally, academically, and professionally from the application process. Even if you do not receive the Fulbright award, you end up with a great personal statement from the process.

For those thinking about research and internship experiences, I would also say DO IT! It was actually through one of my internships at a counseling agency that I learned I did not want to be a counselor and was instead most concerned with improving the work environment. Internships have also helped me get to know a little bit more about what organizational psychology and the HR field are about.

For those looking for internships, my advice would be to reach out to your networks and Roanoke College alumni (I actually [found] my first internship at a Roanoke College Career Night in NYC). I would also recommend research too because it allowed me to go in deeper to my studies and learn more about a particular area that I am passionate about.

Roanoke has an amazing research focus in the psychology program, which also gives you the opportunity to have a strong network relationship, present at conferences, and learn more about the research process.

Thank you to Kaitlin for taking her time to answer our questions, and congratulations again on receiving the Fulbright grant! Keep in touch and let us know how it goes! We’ll be cheering you on from the fifth floor of Life Science.

Also, for those interested in the Fulbright Program, click on this link to go to their official website. You can also talk to Dr. Jenny Rosti, who is the Director of Major Scholarships and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer. Her email is: rosti@roanoke.edu.

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Brittney Rowe Wins the Freeman Award

The following is a transcription from an in-person interview with Brittney Rowe where a fellow student assistant was able to talk with her about her team winning the Freeman Award, a scholarship that helps fund research in Asian countries.

Click on the above image to go to the official ASIANetwork site with the full description of their project, titled “Strangers in Their Imagined Motherland: North Korean Refugees in South Korea.”

Tell me a little bit about the Freeman Award.

The Freeman Award funds around $40,000 towards conducting research in an Asian country. For our trip, we focused on South Korea, but you can also apply to go to China, which is where Dr. Xu led a team a few years ago, and to Japan as well.  [The program is sponsored] through the government and it’s supposed to help promote awareness of Asian cultures.

What or who made you want to apply?

I went on the May Term to Japan last summer with Drs. Xu and Leeson who are also leading this team. A friend who went on the May Term told me about this project over the summer right before school started. So, I emailed Dr. Xu and asked about what they were planning and if I could join. 

Courtesy of Roanoke College News. To find the original article, click on the image above.

What are your plans to do when you get to South Korea?

There’s going to be multiple components. Our overarching topic is going to be focusing on North Korean refugees in South Korea. There are six students going, including myself. We each have different topics that cover aspects of our main topic. [For instance,] Anna Ford will be focusing on how North Koreans are portrayed in South Korean film and TV shows, and Carolyn Marciniec and Phantesa Ingram will be looking into their experiences relating to education. 

I am going to be focusing on how North Korean women are represented in South Korean media and about their lives in South Korea. I plan to interview around fifteen women, maybe more, we’ll see, about their lives since arriving in the South, how they perceive South Korean media’s portrayal of them, and their opinions on unification as well. I will be presenting on my findings at the ASIANetwork Conference in San Diego next April. 

In order to better inform my topic, there’s a TV show that I’ve been focusing on, Now on My Way to Meet You, where they kind of take the typical South Korean talk show. They have guests dance and show off their skills, but they also have the North Koreans talk about their experiences in North Korea. Something that we’ve noticed is that they never get to talk about their struggles in South Korea. It’s always like, rainbows and sunshine and sparkles – when in reality it’s not; a lot of North Korean refugees have trouble adjusting to the highly competitive, capitalist South.

Another thing that we’ve noticed is that typically, it’s pretty, young women who are chosen [to appear on the show]. It’s like a national thing where you send in your personal statement about your life and what you would talk about on the show. And then the show-runners go through the applications and choose who has the most appealing story to South Koreans. They then bring in the women and they dress them up to look like South Koreans to appeal to that South Korean audience. It’s just really interesting to see how that goes.

Brittney Rowe ’20 during her May Term in Japan. Almost all of the students going to South Korea were also part of the May Term.

How long will you be studying in South Korea?

About twenty days in May.

Outside of research, is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to?

Just being in South Korea. Being able to eat South Korean food and experience their culture. We’re also going to be going on little excursions to actually go out and experience the culture. So, it’s a lot like a May Term, but a week longer than my Japan May Term.

Do you have any advice to anyone considering applying to the Freeman Award in the future?

Edit, edit, edit. Go to Jennifer Rosti.

Are you excited?

I really, really am. I’m also going to be studying abroad next semester in South Korea, so. And we’re also going to try and see if we can travel after the original period is up, maybe go to Japan.

Congratulations, Brittney! We wish you the best and hope you enjoy your time in South Korea!

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Congratulations to Kaitlin Busse on Her Fulbright Acceptance!

Congratulations from the Department

Kaitlin Busse, a psychology major and student assistant, was recently awarded an open study/research Fulbright grant in Denmark!

Psychology faculty congratulated her on receiving the Fulbright grant, saying:

We are very proud of Kaitlin’s achievement; it is truly an honor. Kaitlin is the third Psychology major to receive a Fulbright in the last two years. Congratulations Kaitlin and good luck in Denmark!                                                                – Dr. Buchholz

Dr. Powell added:

Kaitlin is driven by an intrinsic motivation to succeed and to make the most of the educational opportunities available. Here at Roanoke, she has worked with myself and another faculty member in the Business Department to diversify her research experiences, which has led to her presenting projects at several disciplinary conferences. she also studied abroad at an institution well-known for their Industrial Organizational Psychology faculty and courses, and she acquired competitive summer internships to further expand her social capital and see the concepts she’s learned in action. A Fulbright Scholarship is an extraordinary next step for her! As she completes additional coursework and conducts a study under Dr. Muhr’s supervision, I am confident that she will thrive in Denmark. I am incredibly proud of what she has accomplished and look forward to hearing how it goes!

Keep a lookout for a follow-up post wherein Kaitlin will discuss what her project will entail, how she came to know about Fulbright, and advice for students interested in pursuing a Fulbright or any internship/research opportunity.

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

New Majors Orientation in March!

Four students recently attended New Majors Orientation where they were able to sign their names onto the psychology board and learn about different opportunities available as a psychology major.

The orientation was led by Dr. Powell, who will be leading another orientation on April 5th at 5:00 pm in LS 502.

New majors are required to attend orientation, so if you recently declared a major in psychology, please sign-up for the final orientation through SONA!

Hope to see you there!

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Psi Chi Inductions 2018

Congratulations to the new members of Psi Chi!

On March 13th, 2018, the psychology department held their Psi Chi Induction Ceremony. Thirty-four students were inducted this semester into Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology and one of the largest honor societies in the United States.

Following lunch, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand began the ceremony by making the opening remarks. Students were then given their certificates and the nominations for the new executive board for Psi Chi were held. Dr. Osterman ended the ceremony by leading the recognition of the outgoing and incoming executive boards.

Pictures of the new members of Psi Chi followed the conclusion of the ceremony, including:

Students who were not able to attend the ceremony but are new members of Psi Chi are as follows:

  • Ciprianna O. Azar
  • Alexander J. Glando
  • Elizabeth Q. Helminski
  • Jeanette L. Kurtic
  • Logan E. Miner
  • Hannah Pfeffer
  • Jeanne M. Skulstad
  • Natalie M. Slemp
  • Allison L. Smith
  • Thomas E. Thomas
  • Kestrel Thorne-Kaunelis
  • Caroline G. Wagoner
  • Taylor C. Ward
  • Griffith E. Wood
  • Emily A. Wright

In order to be accepted to Psi Chi as an undergraduate student, one must:

  • be enrolled as a major or minor in a psychology program or a program psychological in nature
  • have completed at least 3 semesters or equivalent of full-time college coursework
  • have completed at least 9 semester credit hours or equivalent of psychology courses
  • have earned a cumulative GPA that is in the top 35% of their class (sophomore, junior, or senior) compared to their classmates across the entire university or the college that houses psychology (minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale)3
  • have a minimum 3.0 GPA average for psychology courses

Some of the benefits include:

  • International recognition for academic excellence in psychology.
    • Distinguished members can be found here, including Albert Bandura, B. F. Skinner, and Philip G. Zimbardo.
  • Over $400,000 are available annually in awards and grants.
  • Psi Chi’s Career Center
  • Free access to three publications:
    • Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research
    • Eye on Psi Chi
    • Psi Chi Digest

For more information, follow this link to the official Psi Chi website.

Congratulations again to our new members of Psi Chi! They’ve worked hard and we look forward to seeing what they will do in the future.

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Congratulations to Molly Zydel!

Molly Zydel ’19, courtesy of Dr. Powell

Congratulations to Molly Zydel ’19 for being awarded the Mamie Phipps Clark Diversity Research Grant!

Zydel will use this grant towards funding her Distinction Project, titled “Perceptions of Foster Care Youth’s Academic Identity: Comparing Reports from Foster Parents and Former Foster Care Youth.” Specifically, she will be using the grant in order to offset the costs of compensating participants for their time.

She has been a member of Dr. Powell’s research lab since fall 2016.

Zydel also went to Thailand as part of Dr. Powell’s May Term last summer. You can read about the trip here.

The Mamie Phipps Clark Diversity Research Grant was founded in honor of Mamie Phipps Clark. Graduating in 1943, Clark was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University.

As such, this grant is awarded to Psi Chi students and faculty advisors who are seeking to study diverse populations and issues.

For more information about the research grant, click here.

Congratulations again to Molly Zydel! We’re proud of you and look forward to learning about the results of your Distinction Project!

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Students Present at the Academy of Human Resource Development Conference

Riker Lawrence ’20 (left) and Kaitlin Busse ’18 (right) presented two posters at the Academy of Human Resource Development conference in Richmond, VA, this past week..

Congratulations to Kaitlin Busse ’18 and Riker Lawrence ’20 for their successful poster sessions at the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) Conference in Richmond, Virginia!

Part of Dr. Powell’s lab, Busse and Lawrence presented two posters on their findings from researching work-life balance and perceptions of organizational climate and job satisfaction in employees from the United States and the United Kingdom.

The conference began on Wednesday, February the 14th, ending on the 18th. AHRD, a global organization, focuses on “leading human resource development through research.” 

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Student Publication & Updates

Last semester, students from Dr. Nichols lab published a paper titled “Exploration of Methodological and Participant-Related Influences on the Number of Artifacts in ERP Data.”

Under the direction of Dr. Nichols, Ms. Stephanie M. Shields and Ms. Caitlin E. Morse conducted a study in order to see how the number of trials needed to collect enough data for Event-related Potential (ERP) could be minimized through the reduction of artifacts.

Typically, this type of research requires a number of trials in order to collect enough data. Oftentimes, several of these trials have to be discarded as a result of artifacts, or errors.

Shields, Morse, and Nichols focused specifically on the connections between “the number of trials that have to be eliminated due to artifacts and a set of methodological variables, physical considerations, and individual differences.”

To read more about what they found as a result of their research, follow this link to the original article.

Related: Ms. Shields was awarded a Fulbright grant to return to Germany to study bat vocalizations and vocal learning in Munich, Germany from September 2017-July 2018. Prior to this, she spent a summer in Hamburg, Germany through the German Academic Exchange Service Research Internship in Science and Engineering. While there, she completed a research project with Ph.D. student Signe Luisa Schneider on electroencephalography (EEG), learning, and memory. (To find out more about this latter project, follow this link.) Shields also completed over three years of research in the psychology department and had other articles published as well. She graduated with a major in psychology, a concentration in neuroscience, and a minor in German. She plans on earning a Ph.D. in Neuroscience.

Related: Ms. Morse currently works as a Licensed Nursing Assistant at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire. Graduating from Roanoke College with a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science in 2017, she followed this by attending the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences where she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in order to become a registered nurse. While at Roanoke College, she worked as a research assistant in the psychology department for around three and a half years, starting in 2013. She has also participated in two other published articles through Dr. Nichols lab, alongside Ms. Shields and other students. Her Linked In account can be found here.

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

An Interview with Victoria Preston

The following is a transcription from an in-person interview with Victoria Preston at Fruitions where a student assistant was able to talk with her about her research and internship experiences at Roanoke College and Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare.

Victoria Preston ’17, presenting her findings at the recent Psychology Poster Session

Can you tell me a little about yourself? (Such as interesting hobbies and your favorite color?)

I’m a psych major. I don’t think I have any interesting hobbies. I like animals and my favorite color is green.

What kind of classes are you taking this semester?

This is my last semester, so I’m at the very end of what I need to be taking. I’m taking a seminar course [for psychology], and then I’m taking a sociology class because it’s interesting to me. I [also] work for Dr. Powell on a research lab.

How do you like seminar?

It’s kind of challenging just because you’re working in a group to come up with a project. Most of the groups are four people, [but] we’ve got three, so it’s just kind of difficult to get everyone on the same page, to get everyone to meet on time, [and] to get the work done, but it seems to be going well so far.

How do you like Dr. Powell’s lab?

I  love it. This is my second year working for her, second semester I guess, and her lab is about an emerging adult study or doing something with adolescents. Last semester I just worked in helping other students with their research- I didn’t do anything of my own. (…) This year I’m doing my own study from a previous student’s and some of her work. I have someone working for me this time. So, (…) I really enjoy it and you get the experience of what working in a research setting would be and you get her attention to help with anything else that you need.

So, what are you doing specifically in the lab?

There’s a Roanoke College student who graduated last year who did a study on emerging adults and talking, ghosting, friends with benefits, that kind of relationship. I’m doing a secondary data analysis of her study. Dr. Powell and Dr. Friedman did a study on a ghosting, so I’m taking some of their information and putting it together and running my own analysis of it: dealing with if there’s a time frame, what blocking is, if we can accurately define what “talking” really means. [Talking is] different for every person. That’s basically what I am doing this semester.

In addition to working in the lab, you also completed an internship. Can you tell me about that?

I interned at Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Care in the Child and Family Services [Department]. I was toying with the idea of working with children and families and I wanted to intern at a place that was local enough to where I could potentially work there because I am from Salem. [Interning at Blue Ridge] was just the best option and was something I was vaguely familiar with.

What did you learn from your experience at Blue Ridge?

A lot of what I did there was observing group therapy or sitting in on family assessment planning. If there was a kid that needed some sort of services but couldn’t afford it, they would go to this board and make their argument for the government or organization to pay for it. What I learned was that there are a majority of people who need the help that Blue Ridge is giving but they can’t afford it. That was kind of surprising to me because you think “oh, you know everybody has insurance, that insurance just pays for it” but that was not the case. [I also] just figured out my own personal biases in working with kids because I still want to work with children – I eventually want to be family therapist. Maybe. Working with kids, you think it’s going to be one thing and then it’s an entirely different thing.

I did learn a lot about what it was like to work in an actual office setting, which was really important to me because the only other job I’ve had I was working at a jewelry store. That was just really interesting to me to just see how complicated the behind-the-scenes of mental health is and trying to get people the services that they need.

Were there any moments during your internship that really surprised or struck you?

Since there are children and family services in that building, I thought it was only going to be kids needing some sort of residential treatment or psychiatric testing but it’s anything that has to do with children. […] I’m not sure… There were a lot of interesting experiences that I never anticipated or expected to see.

How do you plan on applying what you learned in your internship to what you’d like to do in the future?

The reason why I wanted to intern at a local place was because I plan on applying for a job there, so basically just taking all of the things I observed and kind of deciding if that’s the path that I want to go down since I’ll only have a bachelors [degree]. You can’t really do a lot, so I’ll probably end up being a case-worker. Just taking the things that I saw and learned in my psych classes, counseling classes, or my abnormal classes- even some of my sociology classes. I’ve taken a lot of juvenile delinquency and behavior classes and the things I’ve learned in my classes [I’ve also] seen first hand. When you do an internship, you have to write daily reflections of what you did and how it applies to what you learned and I could apply 90% of what I saw [interning at Blue Ridge] to something that I learned in my classes.

What’s some advice that you have for students who want to complete an internship?

Definitely do it. If I hadn’t taken the internship, then I would have no idea where to go or where to apply. Experiencing something is good but also being able to network and having people that you can then go to or have them be a reference for [is good as well]. I only interned for two months, so you don’t have to have a long internship to get a full experience . You can just do it for a summer. I would tell everyone to do an internship if they can, especially if they are not a hundred percent certain- even they are a hundred percent certain, but maybe they [realize they] don’t like it that much.

Thanks Victoria for taking time to meet to talk about your research experiences and your internship with Blue Ridge. Congratulations on completing your degree!

For those interested in applying to an internship or wanting to know more about research opportunities, please contact Dr. Camac in the Psychology Department and/or Dr. Lassiter in the Biology Department.

Get connected!
Instagram & Twitter:  #PsychRC @RC_Psychology
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website:  http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

Charis Flamburis, The Goodtimes Project

Charis Flamburis 2015

 

Charis Flamburis ’15 was accepted as a counselor at The Goodtimes Project! How exciting!

“Each year over 13,000 children in the US are diagnosed with cancer. Camp Goodtimes was established in 1984 to provide a no cost camp environment for children affected by cancer where they can recapture the joys of childhood.”

Learn more about the project here: http://www.thegoodtimesproject.org/

Outstanding Junior Psychology Majors

DSC_0962

Congratulations to Alexandra Grant, Diane Nguyen, Joana Peders, Christy Blevins, & Brandy Plouff. They received the award for Outstanding Junior Psychology Majors. This award is given to the junior student or students deemed by the faculty as having demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and potential for continued success in Psychology.

Congratulations Ladies & Keep up the good work!