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Becky Bates, ’13

Posted by: shortsd | June 30, 2021 | No Comment |

Becky always knew she wanted to work in medicine. While at CofC, she volunteered at MUSC’s Orthopedic floor and choose PSYC as her major because she found neuropsychology and cognitive psychology fascinating. Becky says, “I completed my cognitive psychology capstone with Dr. [Daniel] Greenberg and realized I enjoyed reading and writing research.”

Between CofC and MUSC’s accelerated BSN program, Becky worked as a research assistant for a MUSC Tele-Health Renal Transplant Study. “I recruited participants post kidney transplant and set them up with equipment to monitor their medication adherence to immunosuppressants, ultimately assessing if graft rejection correlates with medication adherence.”

In MUSC’s program, Becky undertook intense didactic and clinical rotations, graduating in December 2014. After, she worked on a Neuro-Stepdown unit at MUSC before moving to Greensboro, where she worked for 3 years at Moses Cone Hospital’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. In August 2019, Becky began UNG’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Anesthesia Concentration.

Becky has administered anesthesia to patients in 5 different hospitals covering neurosurgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, orthopedics, cardiovascular, and trauma. She is currently in an obstetric rotation. She says, “Being an SRNA (student registered nurse anesthetist) is extremely tough. I work 24-36 clinical hours all over NC and full-time graduate didactic coursework.” But also, “Nursing is truly a great profession because there are so many avenues you can take. You just have to find your “niche.” Anesthesia is mine. I am eternally grateful for all of my encouraging professors at College of Charleston, I would not have been the student, nurse or SRNA I am today without them. College of Charleston shaped my future and I am proud to be a CofC Alumni.”

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Matthew Echols, ’13

Posted by: shortsd | June 30, 2021 | No Comment |

Matthew Echols ’13 completed his Masters in Data Analytics at the University of Chicago in 2020. Matthew has a passion for using Data Science to help understand human experience. Between his time at CofC and his graduate study at the University of Chicago, Matthew worked as a Social Therapist at the Medical University of South Carolina and as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Northwestern University. While at CofC, Matthew conducted research with Dr. Jen Wright on the psychological significance of humility and perceptions of social luck. In collaboration with Dr. Wright and others, Matthew coauthored publications on these topics in 2016 and 2016 in The Journal of Positive Psychology and the journal Philosophical Psychology, respectively.

In describing what kept him going on his graduate journey, Matthew said, “Thinking of how I could apply what I was learning to the future. My program was highly theoretical so I was always excited to try and apply the theory to a more practical application. Also my fellow grad students. We would meet weekly to discuss how our projects/thesis/advisors were giving us hard times. Having a strong support system was important to me. Finally, it’s important to remember that life still goes on while you’re in school and to make sure you’re taking the time to care for yourself.” To others considering a similar path, Matthew suggests, “”Have a clear career goal in mind at all times (it’s okay to change). When making new decisions, ask yourself, “Will this help me reach my goals?”. If it does, do it.”

Profile Credit: Sabrina Fiorillo, PSYC Student Worker

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Jazmine Hasty, ’18

Posted by: shortsd | June 30, 2021 | No Comment |

student photoJazmine Hasty ’18 is now a graduate student at the University of South Carolina studying Counselor Education in Clinical Mental Health (Ed.S.). As part of her program, Jazmine is training in communication skills, theories in counseling, play therapy, cultural awareness, and self-reflection. She is highly motivated by the opportunity to be a part of Black/African American representation in the mental health field, and she sees her graduate degree as a means to fulfill her ambition of helping others. For others considering graduate study, Jazmine suggests that you should not be afraid of making mistakes: “it’s going to happen and in the counseling field, it is one of the ways to improve.”

Jazmine is also a coauthor with Psychology professor Dr. Lisa Ross on a 2018 publication in The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied. She contributed to this research on anxiety, drinking, and unpredictability beliefs as part of her Bachelor’s Essay work with Dr. Ross. While at CofC, Jazmine also conducted research with Dr. Chelsea Reid on nostalgia in addition to her many community involvements, including working as a therapeutic assistant at a regional inpatient facility where she helped psychologists and counselors treat previously incarcerated patients with mental illnesses.

Profile Credit: Sabrina Fiorillo, PSYC Student Worker

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Mariana Glenn-Toland, ’21

Posted by: shortsd | June 30, 2021 | No Comment |

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Congratulations to Mariana Glenn-Toland (’21) on receiving the ExCEL Awards 2020-2021 Outstanding Student of the Year Award for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the  HSS Scholar’s Award and earning Departmental Honors as a Spring 2021 graduate!

 

Mariana completed her Bachelor’s Essay examining disability in the workplace with Dr. Cindi May. While at CofC, Mariana also served as an intern for Fresh Start Visions re-entry program for recently incarcerated men for her Crime, Law, and Society Internship, and she served as an intern at the National Crime Victim Center at MUSC as part of the PSYC 370 Internship Course. Additionally, Mariana volunteered as a research assistant with Dr. Gabrielle Principe, served as a peer counselor and executive board member for Students 4 Support, and served on the executive board for Mental Health in Melanin. She was a member of the Student Ambassadors program and the HSS LEAP program as well as several honor societies. Mariana also volunteered in the community through UPLIFT Club/The Lonon Foundation and Kids on Point.

The Excellence in Collegiate Education and Leadership (ExCEL) Awards honor the College of Charleston students, staff, faculty, and community members for their commitment to creating a campus environment that promotes diversity and excellence. The Outstanding Students of the Year are CofC students who have demonstrated exemplary academic performance, leadership, civic engagement, or public service. This student displays dedication, responsibility, commitment, and service to make a difference in others’ lives.

 

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Virginia McCaughey ’17

Posted by: shortsd | January 6, 2020 | No Comment |

Since graduation, Virginia has worked in Boston, MA as a fulltime research assistant for the Women’s Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD. In this role, Virginia works under the Director and Deputy Director of the Women’s Health Sciences Division, Drs. Tara Galovski and Amy Street. She has been involved in numerous projects, including serving as a research assistant in the development of a nationwide peer support network for women Veterans called WoVeN (Women Veterans Network). Virginia says of her experience, “This role has had incredible value for me as a junior researcher because I have been able to connect directly with the women Veterans we serve and also work alongside Drs. Galovski and Street in this effort to support WoVeN in sustainable ways as it continuously grows.” Virginia has also been involved in projects dealing with military sexual trauma (MST), most notably the development of a mobile app for survivors of MST. This app is being developed under the leadership of Dr. Street, who saw a need for this kind of technology to specifically serve survivors of MST. During her time at NCPTSD, Virginia has had incredible opportunities to present research at international conferences, co-author peer reviewed journal articles, join professional organizations and take leadership roles within them, and create long lasting professional relationships with people who are also passionate about studying PTSD to improve to lives of those affected by it.

While a student at CofC, Virginia conducted research with Dr. Grace Hubel on a systematic review of existing interventions for the prevention of rapid repeat pregnancy in adolescent females. With other members of the team, Virginia learned the methodology of conducting a systematic review, including determining inclusion and exclusion criteria, drafting scoring sheets, conducting thorough literature reviews, and collaborating to discuss the progress and future directions of the project. She presented outcomes from this project at the PSYC department’s annual SARD event in 2017 as well as at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Washington, DC in 2014. Virginia says of her experience, “I’ve been able to apply my knowledge gained from this experience to conduct a systematic review and co-author a manuscript with a polytrauma investigator at the DC VA about sex and gender differences among Veterans with traumatic brain injury to highlight the unique outcomes of women Veterans with TBIs.” During her time at CofC, Virginia also contributed to two additional labs at MUSC and Harvard.

Virginia also highly values her CofC experience as a peer counselor for the Cougar Counseling Team (CCT). Virginia served as a peer counselor on CCT for three years, and during two of those years she served as the program’s co-director. Virginia says, “My favorite thing about being a peer counselor was having the opportunity to support my peers in validating and comforting ways. College is a really transitional time—it presents a lot of great things, but it also presents a lot of academic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal challenges that aren’t always talked, so being a part of a team that volunteered their time to help students through the transitions that college can present was incredibly fulfilling and something I will always regard as one of my favorite college experiences. I would encourage any student thinking about visiting CCT for support to give it a chance. Reaching out for support for difficult things can be really uncomfortable, but more often than not, it’s worth it. CCT’s peer counselors are carefully selected and extensively trained and will support and listen to you however you need them to.”

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Emily Beck ’17

Posted by: shortsd | January 6, 2020 | No Comment |

After graduating from College of Charleston Summa Cum Laude, Emily was a Teacher’s Assistant for the Psychology Department’s Cambodia and Vietnam study abroad, which she had attended as a student in 2015. Once that program ended, Emily spent six months solo backpacking around Southeast Asia to six additional countries: India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, and Laos. Emily says, “This was the best six months of my life in terms of personal development. I experienced a lot of culture shock coming home but I quickly began to job search.” Emily began working as the Volunteer Coordinator for Charleston YOUth Count, a research project conducted through the Riley Center for Liveable and Sustainable Communities that attempted to count and provide resources for housing and food insecure youth in Charleston County. After the end of this project, Emily began working as a Community Specialist for the Department of Juvenile Justice. She says, “Essentially, I acted as a juvenile probation officer, enforcing court orders for juveniles who had broken the law and desperately attempting to help get them the services that they need to turn their lives around. This job was trying- Charleston is one of the most difficult counties to do this kind of work. Kids in Charleston, growing up in rough neighborhoods, experiencing trauma and neglect are somehow expected to fit the social norm in terms of development and it just didn’t work out that way. I felt as though most of the interventions provided were ineffective for the scale of youth we were dealing with and I felt like maybe I was on the wrong side as the enforcer, I wanted to assist, not criminalize.” Emily recently moved over to the Young Offender Parole and Reentry Services division of the SC Department of Corrections, where she is an intensive supervision officer. She meets with young offenders while they are in prison to work on personal growth, conducts assessments with them to determine needs, and set up services upon their release based on those needs. Once released, a rapport has already been developed and she meets with young offenders weekly out in the community to make sure they are receiving their services, staying out of trouble, and receiving the support they need to be successful. Emily says, “At some point, I hope to attend graduate school for restorative justice as I believe there is no individual past the point of redemption, rehabilitation and reintegration. Our criminal justice system is in desperate need of reform and I am impassioned to be someone contributing to that movement.”

While a student at CofC, Emily worked as a Desk Assistant at Craig Residence Hall, a peer facilitator, a peer academic coach, and a member of the Cougar Counseling Team. She was also a member of the Honor Board and worked her way up to Deputy Chair and then Chair.

As part of her study abroad in Cambodia and Vietnam, she conducted an independent study with Dr. Jen Wright on a cultural disorder called “Baksbat” (translates to broken courage), and later she worked as part of Dr. Wright’s research lab defining, measuring and even inducing humility. Emily, along with her colleagues, presented portions of this research at the South Carolina Psychological Association’s 2017 Spring Conference and at the PSYC Department’s Student Award and Research Day. As part of her PSYC397 Internship Course, she worked with WINGS for Kids, an afterschool program aimed at teaching socioemotional learning skills to kids who may have learning problems. Emily also contributed to research at MUSC test interventions to help kids feel safer in school.

Emily says of her experience at CofC, “CofC offered me many opportunities to gain professional and personal experience that I am so incredibly thankful for! But I would like to emphasize more than anything else that College taught me the value of true human connection and the power of authenticity. I definitely worked most closely with Dr. Wright who has been the most influential person I have met in my entire life. She has aided so much in both my personal and professional development and I can’t thank her enough. Additionally, shout out to Garrett Milliken, Patricia Janes, y’all made me fall in love with the science of it and your support meant the world to me! Reba Parker, your I owe your restorative justice course everything I have accomplished since graduating, you opened up my eyes to connect social science and policy and I discovered my passion. Staff mentors should also be mentioned- David Aurich and Bob Kahle, you were some of my biggest supporters and guided me into the professional workforce. Thank you.”

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Leslie Sawyer ’16

Posted by: shortsd | January 6, 2020 | No Comment |

What kind of high impact learning experiences can you pursue as a CofC PSYC major? Leslie Sawyer ’16 pursued research opportunities in multiple labs during and after her undergraduate study at CofC. She is now a first-year PhD student in clinical psychology at the University of South Florida. She works in a lab affiliated with Moffitt Cancer Center where she studies e-cigarettes and works on a smoking cessation program utilizing low-nicotine cigarettes.

Leslie credits CofC PSYC and her mentors with opportunities to gain research experience and develop her professional goals. She received research grants from CofC’s office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA), and she presented findings from her bachelor’s essay (BE) in a symposium at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. She also presented at several poster sessions (i.e., SYNAPSE, Frontiers in Neuroscience, & Neuropalooza). Leslie says, “I had such wonderful instructors in the psychology department that I took as many courses as I could. I added the neuroscience minor because I wanted to learn even more about the field. My overall experience at CofC was awesome; however, the psychology department is where I found the spark that ignited a whole new direction. I had excellent instructors who shaped my love of psychology. Upon graduation, I was awarded Departmental Honors and the Outstanding Student Award; those awards mean so much to me because of the department from which they were awarded.”

Leslie became fascinated with behavior theory in Dr. Chad Galuska’s Conditioning and Learning course. A visit to his office hours turned into an offer to work on an independent study. Leslie later earned a SURF grant to work full-time for a summer conducting behavior analytic research on drinking, and she earned a MAYS grant to conduct her BE. Between undergraduate and graduate school, Leslie continued to work with Dr. Galuska and co-authored a manuscript based on the experiments from her BE. It was published in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior in January 2017. Leslie says, “Dr. Galuska facilitated so many opportunities for me from the moment I expressed that I wanted to learn more. I loved conducting behavior analytic research in the “G Lab!” Dr. Galuska, as a course instructor and mentor, taught me so much about the process of research and behavior theory.”

Dr. Adam Doughty served as Leslie’s “unofficial” adviser; she credits him with helping her learn research techniques, behavior theory, academic writing, how to apply to graduate school, and even that jalapeno is the best flavor of kettle chips. After proposing the research idea in his conditioning and learning lab course, Leslie began working with Dr. Doughty on an independent study so that she could pursue her research question from class. Over the course of two independent studies, they investigated processes of resurgence (i.e., relapse).

Leslie’s passion for clinical psychology was sparked in Dr. Sarah Robertson’s courses on Abnormal Psychology and Foundations of Psychotherapy. Leslie says, “I was intrigued by the material in both courses. However, one day she shared with the class what she called her “winning trifecta: teaching, research, and clinical work.” From that moment, I knew that was my trifecta too!” Following her graduation, Leslie began working with Dr. Sarah Robertson as a research assistant on an expressive writing study. Leslie says, “I learned so much from that experience, including that I absolutely had to apply to graduate school in clinical psychology! She inspired my career goal to become a clinical psychologist years before when she was my instructor. However, that lab experience was my first time working in a clinical psychology lab and it solidified my commitment to pursue clinical research and practice.”

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Serena-Kaye Kinley-Cooper ’14 is currently a PhD candidate in the Neurosciences department at the Medical University of South Carolina working under Dr. DeAnna Adkins. Serena-Kaye’s doctoral research focuses on filling the gap in the current understanding of how brain stimulation can enhance recovery from stroke. This has involved conducting studies that investigate how and when brain stimulation interacts with brain injury and how we can use this understanding to optimize stimulation to enhance functional recovery. The research she will be defending in April 2019 focuses on the effects of inhibitory contra-lesional or excitatory ipsi-lesional brain stimulation in an animal model of stroke. The direction of Serena-Kaye’s research has allowed her to receive several grants that include a TL1 translational training grant and a prestigious F99/K00 award that pays for her graduate funding and three years of postdoctoral funding upon graduation. While attending graduate school at MUSC, Serena-Kaye also serves as a teaching assistant for two undergraduate psychology classes taught by CofC PSYC’s Dr. Jennifer Wilhelm.

While a student at CofC, Serena-Kaye worked with Dr. Michael Ruscio for two years. She says, “This experience was INSTRUMENTAL to my love of research. Working in his lab allowed me to become proficient in not only lab techniques I was utilizing, but also skills such as writing (I did a Bachelor’s essay) presentations and poster making. These are skills that I am still using today after almost 5 years in graduate school. I was also able to be a coauthor on publications and poster presentations, which were great additions to my CV! Just this last year, I gave a talk in Dr. Ruscio’s hormones and behavior class.” Serena-Kaye gave an oral presentations of her research with Dr. Michael Ruscio at the SYNAPSE conference in Asheville, NC (for which she received an RPG grant from URCA) and at the McNair Conference in Atlanta Georgia as a student in the Ronald McNair program. Serena-Kaye won second place in her category for her presentation.

 

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Ellie Cutright ’18 has accepted a job with APOPO, a Belgian based non-governmental organization which employs giant African pouched rats to detect landmines and tuberculosis worldwide. In mid-September, she joined their research and development team at the research headquarters located in Morogoro, Tanzania where she will live for the next year. The rats, chosen for their small size (being too light to detonate the landmines) and superior olfactory system, are trained using operant conditioning to detect the presence of landmines in previously war torn areas in 8 countries; and to detect tuberculosis in human sputum samples in 3 countries.

While completing my undergraduate degree at CofC, Ellie completed both an independent study and a year-long Bachelor’s Essay project with CofC PSYC’s Dr. Chad Galuska. Her research involved the development a new model operant self-administration of oral ethanol using rats. This research, in collaboration with two other alumni (Leslie Sawyer and Kayce Hopper) is currently being reviewed for publication. During her senior year at CofC, Ellie also traveled to and presented at the Behavior, Biology, and Chemistry: Translational Research in Addiction conference, for which she received an Undergraduate Research Presentation Grant and the Charles Latimer Jr. Psychology Travel Award. Research which she co-authored was also presented at the 64th Southeastern Psychology Association annual meeting and the annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Ellie also served as a teaching fellow for the department’s statistics course.

Of her experience, Ellie says, “The research I did while a student at CofC helped me to cultivate the skills necessary to get my job at APOPO upon my graduation, and has influenced me to pursue further education in the field.”

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Mollie Selmanoff, BS ’16

Posted by: shortsd | February 20, 2018 | No Comment |

Mollie Selmanoff, BS ’16 majored in psychology with minors in Jewish Studies and Spanish.

Since graduating from College of Charleston, Mollie has been working full-time at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center within the Medical University of South Carolina. She is the case manager and clinic coordinator for the sexual assault follow-up clinic. Within this role, she conducts assessments, gives brief intervention/skills, coordinates care with other agencies, and refers patients to treatment either at the Crime Victims Center or to other agencies in the community. She also coordinates and accompanies patients needing STI follow-up screenings with their OB/GYN. Lastly, Mollie co-lead a skills group that meets weekly for adult survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse.

In August of 2018, Mollie will be starting at University of Maryland School of Social Work to pursue her passion. She had secured a position to start this summer and continue through graduate school at Baltimore Child Abuse Center, where she has previously worked. Mollie will be training camp counselors and staff on childhood sexual abuse over the summer. Mollie says that she is “not sure what comes after, but I am excited for a new adventure!”

During her senior year at The College, Mollie interned at Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina through the department’s PSYC 397 internship class, conducted research with Dr. Jennifer Wilhelm, and completed a Bachelor’s Essay with Dr. Amy Kolak. She presented some of her research at the Psychology department’s annual Student Award and Research Day (SARD). Mollie says of her experiences, “I thoroughly enjoyed both experiences and confirmed what I thought, that I really enjoy clinical work.”

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