RECOGNITION
Diversity Article Winners
Share Their Passion
E
very year, Psi Chi recognizes two individuals for publishing the best diversity-related article in Eye on Psi Chi magazine and Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. We would like to congratulate the 2019–20 recipients, each of whom received $600 for their hard work! Learn more about Psi Chi Diversity Article Awards at www.psichi.org/?page=diversityinfo (and consider submitting your own diversity-related articles!)
Psi Chi Journal of
Psychological Research
George Bate
Jorge Cabrera
Unlike more overt forms of social injustice, the diversity topics discussed in my article are particularly relevant for discussion as they not only impact the mental health of many, but they are ambiguous and often imperceptible, while still being insidious and pervasive. Broadly focusing on diversity topics, including microaggressions, is important as the first step to comprehensively tackling these issues is to further an awareness of their existence. As microaggressions in particular are often unintentionally delivered and their effects appear more subtle in many cases, it is difficult to implement overarching changes at the institutional level, as discussed in the article, without first introspectively assessing if we engage in these behaviors. In that microaggressions and other forms of discrimination foster and perpetuate mental health issues, it is vital to focus on these topics in academic and clinical settings to formulate more targeted methods to lessen the prevalence of these behaviors. Although sweeping universal policies harbor issues of their own, dialogues regarding microaggressions and other forms of modern discrimination, especially in this tumultuous political climate, must be started in order to provide victims with the sense of security, free of discrimination, they deserve in academic settings.
Diversity (e.g., gender, ethnicity, age, first generation status, and class), among both students and faculty, is important because the future thought leaders of the country are nurtured in institutions of higher education. Faculty mentors are encouraged to identify diverse students and help them to further develop their abilities and talents. My coauthors and I delved into the mentor-mentee relationship and its importance in the development of scholar identity within our article. The scholar identity development of underrepresented undergraduate students is essential in creating a more diverse academia. The diversity of the United States is shifting but the leadership in academia is slower to shift. The key to increasing diversity among the leadership in academia is to increase the graduation rate of underrepresented undergraduates followed by admissions into graduate school. Faculty mentors play an important role in identifying talented diverse students and guiding them through graduation by providing opportunities to collaborate in scholarly work (e.g., empirical research studies, book writing). Providing underrepresented students with such opportunities allows them to develop their scholar identity and increases the likelihood of graduation and matriculation to graduate school.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO (IL) Discussing the Impact of and Adequate Responses to Microagressions
George Bate is a clinical psychology PhD student at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. He earned his BS in psychology from Loyola University Chicago and his AA from Oakton Community College. He is currently a student researcher in Dr. Steven Miller’s Personality and Emotion Lab studying various topics related to anxiety and depression, including stress-related physiological manifestations of these symptoms and discerning the dimensionality of psychological instruments using novel statistical techniques. In the future, George aims to conduct clinically relevant anxiety and depression research and apply this research in a clinical setting.
COPYRIGHT © 2020 PSI CHI
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, MONTEREY BAY Scholar Identity Development: A Book Writing Journey and Tips for Undergraduate Mentors
Jorge Cabrera is a first generation Hispanic college graduate. He attended a local community college and then transferred to California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). At CSUMB he began working with Dr. Jennifer Lovell who was essential in helping him develop his scholar identity and mentored his work on a number of research studies, scholarships, and awards. During his time at CSUMB, he worked as an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center (UROC) researcher, and he was awarded the prestigious Sally Casanova Scholarship (2018–19). After graduation, he conducted summer research at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Health.
SUMMER 2020 EYE ON PSI CHI
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