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The Department of Psychological Sciences has named Briona Luthart as Student of the Month for the month of October.  Briona is currently a currently a junior in the research methods sequence, where she is busy planning her independent senior thesis research project.

Briona is the treasurer of The Psychological Sciences Student Association (PSSA), and an academic coach for statistics for the psychological and social sciences as well as some other psych classes she is taking this semester. Briona is also involved in Cru, a ministry organization, which she hopes to join for a mission this Spring. Briona is a member of the women’s tennis team at ̨��Swag, as well as a peer mentor for the freshman IND classes. Briona has worked in the Conference Services office during the summer and enjoys helping to promote ̨��Swag assist prospective students at Open House activities, Summer Preview, and Accepted Students Day. In addition, Briona volunteers her time with Kids Escaping Drugs, where she helps raise money for those struggling with addictions.

Briona has already distinguished herself as a campus leader, but her goals this year include trying to gain even more leadership roles, and work towards being invited to join an academic honor society. Her career goals include enlisting in the Air Force as an officer where she can apply her psychology background, then continuing to graduate school, with the hopes of ultimately becoming a School Psychologist. 

When Briona is not working hard at school, she enjoys going to concerts, playing tennis, and skiing. She loves to travel and has visited a few countries in Europe, Puerto Rico, and Canada. She hopes to continue to travel around the world.

We are so proud of Briona, and the positive energy she brings to the department. She is a wonderful role model for her peers.

The Department of Psychological Sciences named Amanda Schrader as Student of the Month for the month of May. Amanda is currently a senior in the Psychology Program and will be presenting her senior thesis research project, “Effects of Education on Stigmas Towards Individuals with Mental Illnesses,” to faculty, staff, and students this week.  

Amanda is a member of the Psychology Club and the Best Buddies program, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Amanda has distinguished herself by being invited to join two academic honor societies, Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, and Phi Theta Kappa, another well-known academic honor society.

We are extremely proud of Amanda, as she has been accepted to the University at Buffalo’s competitive Master’s in Mental Health Counseling program to begin in Fall of 2017. Amanda is bright, conscientious, mature, and extremely hard working. She always performs extremely well in difficult courses and showed herself to be highly capable of tackling difficult concepts throughout the challenging research sequence in the psychology curriculum.

Amanda’s ultimate career goal is to become a licensed mental health counselor and become part of a working community geared towards the growth, development, and understanding of others. Amanda has remarked that she is thankful for all of the friendships she has formed with both peers and faculty of the Psychological Sciences Department. When she is not hard at work, Amanda enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her dog, a beagle named Buddy. During her free time, Amanda also works at Bon-Ton.

The department of Psychological Sciences is thrilled to highlight Rachel Shapiro as Student of the Month for the month of February. Rachel is currently a junior in the program and is completing her first course in the required research sequence for majors. She is also pursuing a dual-degree in the History and Political Science department at ̨��Swag. This degree combination has allowed Rachel to pursue her passions in psychology and politics, as well as discovering new interests, such as working with refugees resettled in the Buffalo area.

Rachel is very involved on campus. She is a work-study student in the Financial Aid Office, a tour guide for the ̨��Swag Office, and an academic coach for Introductory Psychology students. Rachel is also heavily involved with the Psychology Club on campus and the department’s peer mentor program. She values all of the relationships she has created within both the Psychology and Political Science departments. Rachel brings all of the skills she has developed through these leadership roles and relationships into her everyday life and distinguishes herself as a mature leader, committed to exploring her interests while growing personally.
 
Outside of school, Rachel spends her time exploring Buffalo and Ontario, specifically Toronto. During the summer, she likes taking her dog Rocky, a sassy beagle-wiener mix, for walks through their neighborhood. She also loves learning about different cultures and customs. The faculty in the department are so proud of how Rachel has grown in the past three years, her level of commitment to everything she pursues, her interest in learning, and her advocacy for her fellow students. Department faculty are excited to see where Rachel’s research takes her as she continues to develop her research throughout the upper division research sequence of our program!

The department of psychological sciences is pleased to announce that Sara Spence has been selected as Student of the Month for November. Sara is currently a senior in the program. She is working this semester on her proposal for her Senior Thesis, which she will complete in Spring, 2017. Sara always brings her excitement about learning, her maturity, and her kind and cooperative spirit wherever she goes. Sara is also a campus leader, both within the department and outside of it. She is the president of the Psychology Club, an Orientation Leader, a Psychology Peer Mentor, and a member of the Best Buddies Program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In January, Sara will begin an internship in School Counseling at the Buffalo United Charter School. 

Whether Sara is engaging in an academic endeavor or a leadership role, she always distinguishes herself as someone who is fully committed, organized, easy to work with, fair-minded, and truly interested in learning and growing intellectually and personally. 

Outside of school, Sara enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her two dogs, Bentley, a playful puggle, and Gunner, a loveable golden retriever. In her free time, Sara works hard as a server at Joe's Crab Shack

The department of psychological sciences is thrilled to highlight Shannon Meyers as Student of the Month for October. Shannon is currently a Junior in our program, completing coursework in the upper division of the major. Shannon is a campus leader. She is the president of Sister to Sister, a student diversity council member, an orientation leader, and a psychology peer mentor. In addition, Shannon works in the Global Programs Office as an office assistant and in the learning center as an academic coach for PSY 103, Introduction to Psychological Science. This semester, Shannon is completing an internship as a special events coordinator with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). 

In addition to her many academic and leadership oriented achievements, Shannon is in the upper division research sequence of the psychology major, and performing extremely well in this rigorous aspect of our program, distinguishing herself as a truly dedicated student with great tenacity and love for her field of study. 

Outside of school, Shannon enjoys spending time with her family and her best friend, Sierra (another wonderful Psychology major!)! At home, Shannon enjoys spending time on the beaches of Long Island and being anywhere near the water. Shannon is caring, takes time to help others, is extremely excited about learning about cultures different from her own. The faculty in the psychology department are so proud of all that Shannon has accomplished!