Students Learn from Peers, Faculty and Guest Speakers at Annual Psychology Day
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Guest Speaker Dr. Melanie Byde.
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Students at the Psychology Day fair.
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Students receive information about volunteering opportunities at the fair. [/tab][tab width=”800″ height=”600″]
Psychology Division full time faculty organize this event every year.
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Student speakers from left to right: Sadia Raja, Mireya Garcia, Stephanie Palmer, Francesca Niculae,
Psychology Faculty Diana Kyle, Corina Salmon, and Ashley Obregon
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Students display their research posters during Psychology Day.
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More than 100 students gathered on Oct. 9 to listen to guest speakers, talk with faculty and get to know fellow students at this year’s Psychology Day. Organized by Fullerton College Psychology Department faculty, this day gave students the opportunity to learn more information about clinical psychology and other career fields, the importance of undergraduate research, meet alumni attending four-year institutions, and the steps needed to begin a career in psychology.
“An important goal is for our majors to begin to experience themselves as professionals,” said Professor Julie Felender.
Following introductions by psychology faculty and the Social Sciences Dean Kathy Bakhit, six Fullerton College students spoke about their experiences conducting their own studies and their experiences as psychology students at Fullerton College. Stephanie Palmer, Francesca Niculae, Mireya Garcia, Corina Salmon, Sadia Raja and Ashley Obregon each emphasized the importance of starting to get involved in research right away to get a head start in preparing for transfer and becoming part of the profession. They all suggested focusing on research, attending conferences and working collaboratively. Because of their work in the Honors Research Methods and Independent Studies courses, these students have also completed additional independent research studies at Fullerton College. Many of these students will be presenting their research as professional posters at next year’s Western Psychological Association Convention in Long Beach.
Dr. Melanie Byde, senior supervising psychologist at Patton State Hospital, began her talk with her journey as a psychology student and the internships and opportunities she took that lead her to her current position. Students listened as she spoke about her experiences working with patients one-on-one in dangerous environments.
Dr. Jacqui Lewis teaches psychology at University of California Irvine specializing in the psychology of violence and influence. Lewis spoke about the recent controversy regarding American Psychological Association members’ involvement in developing advanced interrogation techniques for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and the ethics in involvement of techniques deemed as torture.
During the scheduled lunch break, students could meet with local clubs, organizations and employers who had information regarding employment and volunteer opportunities, memberships, and resources. On display were the student research posters that the student speakers created. The topics of these posters ranged from topics of euthanasia, sexual assault, LGBT, social status cues, and stress.
Psychology Day is organized and funded every year by psychology faculty Callista Lee, Julie Felender, Diana Kyle, Katheryn McGuthry, Jeana Wolfe and Robert Byde and student attendees. The Psychology Department’s good work is appreciated and supported by Social Science Dean Kathy Bakhit.
