Psi Beta Chapter wins national honor awards

The Lorain County Community College Psi Beta Chapter earned three awards in national competition.

The Lorain County Community College (LCCC) Psi Beta chapter recently earned three awards in the 2021 Psi Beta National Psychology Honor Society competition.

The Building Bonds award was earned for the chapter’s collaboration with the Cleveland State University Psi Chi chapter (fouryear psychology honor society) in coordinating and moderating a virtual symposium on autism, according to a news release from LCCC.

This honor is given to just one Psi Beta/Psi Chi collaboration in the nation, the release said.

“We wanted to do something that has not been done before in the club,” said Maddy Calvert, Psi Beta president during the 2020-21 academic year. “The panel consisted of three speakers discussing their experiences working with individuals with autism or intellectual disabilities and research on the subject.

“The event was a tremendous success with nearly 100 people in attendance.”

Calvert is a University Partnership student, on track to graduate from Cleveland State University this spring.

LCCC’s Psi Beta also earned the Chapter Community Service award for the students’ work in the community.

“Psi Beta gives leadership, collaboration, research and volunteer opportunities you would not find elsewhere,” Calvert said. “It is a great feeling to have your hard work recognized.

“We had an amazing group of active members this past year who all had their hands in several projects throughout the year.”

In addition, the LCCC chapter earned the Chapter Excellence award, given to chapters that meet or exceed the standards of excellence that reflect each component of Psi Beta’s mission:

Leadership, scholarship, community service and research.

LCCC’s chapter was one of just 13 colleges in the nation to receive this award and it is the fifth year in a row the LCCC chapter earned it, the release said.

“It is wonderfully satisfying to see LCCC’s Psi Beta students win these national awards,” said associate psychology professor Michelle Foust, Ph.D., chapter co-adviser, alongside psychology professor Jim Jordan. “Psi Beta is more than an honor society in psychology.

“The group provides a wealth of professional development for the students. Additionally, the Psi Beta students provide information about psychology to the community through projects and community service.”

“Prior to the pandemic Psi Beta students conducted research on grit. Ironically, one year later we had a new group of students demonstrate a tremendous amount of grit as they did not allow the pandemic to inhibit their education,” Jordan said. “Our Psi Beta students, like so many LCCC students, work hard, care about their community, and have a tremendous amount of intellectual curiosity.”

Many Psi Beta alumni study psychology at fouryear institutions, working toward their bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees, he said.

“I know this group of students will be following in their predecessors’ footprints.” Psi Beta students include Calvert, Sadie Elsten, Madison Linden, Abbey Sears, Randi Schmidt, Carlos Abarca and Macie Graham.

For more information on LCCC’s Psi Beta chapter, contact Foust at mfoust@ lorainccc.edu or Jordan at jjordan@lorainccc.edu.