Extracurricular Activities
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President of Behavioral Science Association
In my junior year at Keuka College, I re-imagined a group that had since disbanded. I created this group as an opportunity for students of all majors to meet and discuss topics related to human behavior. In our weekly sessions, we have academic conversation about subjects such as: serial killers, self-care, transition into college, cult psychology, and a relationship series spanning three meetings. We use what we have learned in classes, in our own research, internships, and personal experience to enhance these discussions and make the content more educational.
We have the opportunity to interact with the community as part of our club, and participate in events such as the One Walk which brings attention to those who have been afflicted by suicide. This event shows community members that we are a resource for those who need help and care about others. We host a rock-painting table every year so students can tribute the loss of a loved one, draw something for themselves, or anything that promotes self-love and love of others. It is an activity we are proud to be a part of every year.
Showing off our rock painting booth at the One Walk Suicide Awareness event.
My fellow BSA members and I at a social event to recruit more members.
My Vice President and I after getting our faces painted at the One Walk Suicide Awareness event in September of 2019.
What I Have Learned
From this experience, I learned the importance of creating a vision, what it takes to create a community, and listening to others. After attending BSA in my freshman and sophomore years, I realized what I liked about the group and what I wanted to change. My goal was to keep the interactions solid between upperclassmen and freshmen by meeting every week and creating a friendly, safe environment. I was this as an opportunity to promote adjustment to campus life for first-year students and community-building for upperclassmen. The campus involvement activities made us more involved with campus events, like the One Walk, and gave us ideas for further community engagements. Finally, I used this experience as an opportunity to do one of the most difficult things in leadership positions: listening. Two years ago, I would have dominated conversations and talked about my experiences and ideas alone. From group discussions and e-board meetings, I learned that I learned more about my club by taking a step back to listen to what others were saying. I find myself posing more questions, clarifying what others are saying more often, and being a more open-minded leader as a result of this position.
My vice president, Ashley Defreitas, and I recruiting members for BSA at the Spring Involvement Fair in February 2019.