UW Psi Chi: Working Together to Build Community

"Since I joined Psi Chi, I have not only made a lot of awesome new friends, but it has also allowed me to get to know professors outside of the classroom."

     - Lucy Dong, Psi Chi Social Media Chair

With an active group of officers at the helm, the UW Chapter of Psi Chi is off to a great start this academic year. Psi Chi is the National Honor Society of Psychology in the United States, and one of a few international psychology honor societies. The purpose of the UW chapter is to encourage excellence in scholarship and to provide community building opportunities for undergraduate students of psychology. 

This year's group of student leaders includes eight officers who work toward carrying out the Psi Chi mission under the guidance of Psychology Department Academic Advisor Vicky Hansen and Principal Lecturer Laura Little. "As an officer for Psi Chi, I have a great time planning events and thinking of new ways to build a stronger psychology community," says Social Media Chair Lucy Dong. Events are open to all undergraduates interested in psychology.

Over the course of this academic year, Psi Chi will offer a variety of opportunities for psychology majors to come together for both academically focused and purely social activities. So far this year, students have been invited to participate in a movie night, a lunchtime pizza with the professor event, and a mindfulness study break that aimed to take the edge off of finals week. "Psi Chi chapter events provide valuable opportunities to get to know professors on a personal level and to meet students with similar interests," says Scholarship Chair Junting Yu.  

Membership Chair Shane Snyder concurs with his fellow officers with respect to the core value of the organization, noting that events often provide "a good way to ask questions or foster relationships to shorten the distance between students and professors." He looks forward to upcoming events that will include more pizza with the professor lunches, lab tours, movie nights, and a graduate student panel.