Newsletter Article

Welcoming the UW Psychology 2021 Cohort!

Before they joined UW Psychology, our incoming cohort of students earned their undergraduate degrees from the UW and other institutions in the west (UCLA, Pomona College), the midwest (Indiana University, Northwestern University), the northeast (Bryn Mawr College, Vassar College, Boston College, Brown University), and internationally (University of Ghana, Chinese Academy of Sciences).

The Psychology Graduate Program began building connections with the 2021 cohort in the spring and summer, holding virtual town hall events with members of the department, including Shannon Dorsey (Director of Graduate Training and Child Clinical Area), Melissa Gasser (this year’s lead TA and General/Adult Clinical graduate student with William George), and Jeanny Mai (Graduate Advisor). Town hall topics included information on the program, living in the Seattle area, and other topics.

Near the beginning of autumn quarter, for the first time for two years, UW Psychology held an in-person orientation. But first, a virtual UW TA/RA orientation conference and international student conference brought together many students from across the globe and from various graduate programs to a popular annual event. After the TA/RA conference, our lead TA facilitated a two-day orientation to the department, featuring talks by members of the department and faculty and student panels. We enjoyed seeing people gathered in distanced and masked settings, finally connecting faces from Zoom with in-person individuals. This year’s cohort of students enjoyed getting to know each other and attending presentations by University organizations and resources, including the Diversity Steering Committee, UW Libraries, and the UW Counseling Center.

Additionally, our first-year students have already earned awards and fellowships, including three University of Washington Top Scholar Awards, four Provost Fellowships, four Psychology Department Scholar Awards, a Graduate Excellence Award from the Office of Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE, formerly known as GO-MAP), a GSEE Diversity Fellowship, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Our graduate students are contributing to cutting-edge research and scholarship and go on to become leaders in their respective fields. Graduate support funds are an important source of support for our students.

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