Department of Psychology - Spring 2020 Graduation
The faculty and staff of the Department of Psychology are so proud of the determination and accomplishments of our Spring 2020 graduating class. As you move on to the next phase of your lives, we hope that all of you will fondly remember your time at ECU and never forget that you are always a part of the Pirate Nation. More importantly, as we all do our best to deal with these difficult times, remember the words of renowned developmental psychologist Erik Erikson: “Life doesn’t make any sense without interdependence. We need each other, and the sooner we learn that, the better for us all.”
Department of Psychology
Spring 2020 Graduates
Master of Arts in Psychology
Dorothy Dator
Alicia Day
Chelsea Forest
Kristen Michelle McCabe
Jasmine Silver
Allison Hope Skinner
Dillon Bond
Beatrice L DeMott
William Sebastian Eddy
Brittany Nicole Meier
Vanessa C T Nguyen
Brittnie Tierra Owens
Clayton Reichart
Lonnisa M Skinner
Taylor Wynn
Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience
Matt Bair*
Azia L Barfield
Joseph Basco
Mychaela M Brown*
Damani Fitzgerald
Mark A Ibrahim
Dayla Jones
Hailey Marie King*
Ryan Allen Wilhelm Patton***Ψ
Mackenzie A Roeschlein*Ψ
Joseph Ruiz
John M Sutherland
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Rachel C Arellano
MaDeja Kyri’ Barnes
Holly Meghan Bettes
Tyler Lee Christopher Birk
Alex Paige Blizzard
Olivia Brandon
Autumn Rose Carlson*
Victoria M Cataldo
Sa’ Kaile Chavis**
Joshua N Coke
Allison Jane CopeckΨ
Tiana Cassidy Cypher
Callie M Danehy
Ryan L Davis
Teleaha K Dozier-Grady*Ψ
Kari K Dunlap
Melay Efrem
Hadley M Ewing*
Dina Tarek Fahmey
Sharon Marie Falkins
Aaron Christian Gabuya
Elchris Gil
Leslie B Golding
Anthony S Greenwell
Kae D Hall
Rebecca Lynn Harrell**Ψ
Alex S Harris
Emani A Heyliger
Guy David Hirsh
Brianna C Howell
Catherine E Johnson
Jasmine T Jones*
Zari D Josey
Sri Sai Sulakshana Kanduri
Madison Rose Kearney
Kelly Koledo Lester
Chelsea Rae Lilley
Sydney Shyrl Lineberger
Amber L Long
Alyssa C Lumbard
Agatha Marie Lungi
Lejoi S Lyons
Egypt D Mannar
Patricia M Mansour
Alicia Martinez-Mendez
Silas M Matson*
Bryanna CoNeshia Matthews
Shadia Alyssia Mckoy
Memorie Prideaux Metzler
Nathan M Montondo
Megan Anne Moomaw**Ψ
Sara H Murphy
Alyssa L O’shields
Keira Partlow
Jenika Patel*
Ciandra J Paul
Parker Ann Powell
Sha’Quandra C Purvis
Sarah Elizabeth Rob
Joseph Ruiz
Kasie Rene Sands
Summer Hailey Sands*
Ricky B Scott Jr
Brooklyn P Simme
Chancel N SimmonsΨ
Tobiah May Steele**
Kaliyah Nashae Tunstall**
Abigail Dorothy Catherine Ware*Ψ
Destiny A Wharton*
Jalaya Unyra Unique Williams
*Cum Laude **Magna Cum Laude ***Summa Cum Laude ΨSenior Thesis
Enjoy this slideshow of photos and memories submitted by some of our graduates!
Congratulations from the Chair
Dr. Alan Christensen, Chair of the Department of Psychology, on behalf of the department faculty, offers his congratulations to this spring’s graduates. The Department of Psychology is proud of each graduate and how they have done a terrific job of adapting in these recent months. It has been a pleasure having each graduate as part of the Department of Psychology family. Dr. Christensen encourages each graduate to bask in their achievements and wishes them good luck in the future! And Go Pirates!
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Neuroscience Program
Dr. Tuan Tran, Neuroscience Program Director, offers his congratulations to students graduating in the Neuroscience program. He encourages graduates to reflect on their achievements and look forward to the challenges ahead. Dr. Tran thanks each graduate for their contributions in the Neuroscience program.
Congratulations from Psi Chi
The Department of Psychology shares these words from faculty member Ted Whitley.
I’m Ted Whitley, faculty advisor to East Carolina University’s chapter of Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology and the Psychology Club. The ECU chapter of Psi Chi received its charter in 1966, so it has been around for a while.
The Department of Psychology’s graduate recognition ceremony was originally instituted by the officers of Psi Chi in order to give us the opportunity to recognize our graduates and their accomplishments on an individual basis. Unfortunately, things are different this year, so I do not have the pleasure and honor of recognizing you in person. Speaking on behalf of the faculty, I want to congratulate all of the graduates. We hope that you enjoyed your time at ECU, and we wish you the best in your lives and careers.
I also want to offer special thanks to Psi Chi’s graduating officers for the time and energy they have invested. They are leaving the chapter with a solid foundation on which to build for the future, and I have enjoyed working with them. They are:
Abigail Ware, President
Oscar Monroy, Vice President
Teleaha Dozier-Grady, Secretary
Lupe Alvarado, Public Relations
Shay Falkins, Liaison Officer/ Reservationist
They have all made contributions to Psi Chi and other campus groups and organizations, and I’m sure they will continue to be valuable contributors in the next stages of their academic careers and lives. You will read about their accomplishments and plans in posts this week and next. Please join me in wishing them the very best!
Department Awards
Foundation Account Award
The Department of Psychology congratulates graduating senior Rebecca Harrell on winning the Foundation Account Award for outstanding undergraduate thesis!
Each year, the Department of Psychology selects one graduating senior to be the recipient of the Foundation Account Award for producing the outstanding undergraduate thesis. The recipient of this year’s Foundation Account Award completed a thesis entitled “Postpartum Maternal Well-Being: Investigating Relationships of Mental Health and Treatment History with Postpartum Depression.” Her work demonstrated the importance of prior diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and PTSD in risk for postpartum depression, as well as suggested that individuals who first developed mental health conditions in childhood were at substantially elevated risk. Her thesis work is highly important in increasing our understanding of who might be particularly vulnerable to the development of postpartum depression. Congratulations to Ms. Rebecca Harrell, this year’s Foundation Account Award winner!
Outstanding Senior Award
The Department of Psychology congratulates graduating senior Ryan Patton for winning the Outstanding Senior Award!
The Department of Psychology selects one graduating senior to be recognized as the outstanding senior in psychology based on his or her academic achievement, professional accomplishments, campus involvement, and career goals. We hope you will take a moment to watch the video sharing his many activities and accomplishments. His nominator, Dr. Tuan Tran, described him as someone who has “carried himself admirably by extending himself by assisting different facets of humanity” and as “a special individual among a sea of stellar students.” Please join us in congratulating this year’s outstanding senior in psychology, Mr. Ryan Patton!