Makayla Payne has been a member of Psi Chi since Fall 2023 and has served as the exceptional President of the Psi Chi / Psychology Club at Fresno State since Fall 2024.

Makayla has led with energy, vision, independence, intelligence, joy, and kindness. She consistently went above and beyond at every step of her presidency. The Psi Chi booth—where she is pictured standing with her welcoming smile—is a powerful symbol of her leadership. That booth would not exist without Makayla’s initiative. With the support of her father, who generously helped build it, Makayla organized transportation, setup, and use of the booth semester after semester. It became a central point of connection for students across campus. Both during her first term, when she was a senior psychology undergraduate student, and recently as a graduate student in the General/Experimental Psychology program, Makayla led the club with grace, professionalism, and care. She approached the role seriously and thoughtfully, navigating university systems, extensive paperwork, and coordination across departments with both competence and patience.

During her presidency, Makayla organized and supported a remarkable range of initiatives, including—but not limited to—club collaborations, fundraising events, pumpkin carving and bowling socials, speaker series, graduate school preparation events, Psi Chi grant applications, PSYCH 63 (Introduction to the Psychology Major) presentations, student travel funding for regional conferences such as the Western Psychological Association (WPA), and the development of a faculty-led student certification series that will continue beyond her term. Most importantly, she played a central role in revitalizing the club after the pandemic, breathing new life into its mission, structure, and community.

As Makayla prepares to propose her thesis, begin data collection, and move toward her thesis defense, she has made the thoughtful and self-aware decision to step down from the presidency to focus on her many responsibilities. Even in stepping down, she has done so with generosity—offering to continue volunteering, supporting transitions, assisting with Psych 63 presentations, helping with logistics, and ensuring continuity for the faculty certificate series.

The Psi Chi / Psychology Club is, without question, deeply indebted to Makayla for her leadership, initiative, and care. She has been competent and thoughtful, practical and intelligent, dedicated and kind. Her impact on the club, its students, and its future will be felt for a long time.

Share Your Appreciation

We invite students, officers, and faculty/staff to share a story or note of appreciation for Makayla.
Please feel free to add your message using this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jQljhcts5ahmhAcshANcUPJUSMct75WNih-NoVA0LFo/edit?usp=sharing