On April 25, 2023, Psi Alpha celebrated its 5th birthday and has had yet another successful school year full of inductions, recruitment, scholarship, and leadership. Recently achieving nonprofit status, the Psi Alpha International Honor Society for High School Psychology has been able to move forward with various projects and collaborations geared towards improving the membership experience of both student members and advisors alike. Psi Alpha has received a grant from the American Psychological Foundation and in collaboration with Fordham University’s Dr. Harold Takooshian, Dr. Bryan Gerber and Psi Alpha are paving the way to help high school students connect with psychology-focused mentors to further their research and involvement in the field of psychology. Psi Alpha is working to develop a series of videos, featuring several psychology professionals, detailing the benefits of mentorship for high school student researchers, and how high school students can seek out their own mentors and further their passions for psychology as a science.
Compared to 2022, Psi Alpha has doubled the amount of scholarship funds awarded to its members and advisors, recognizing an outstanding student, an outstanding advisor, outstanding servitude, and four chapter excellence awards. The organization also publishes a quarterly newsletter, detailing chapter happenings, organization updates, chapter spotlights, and other pertinent news. Upcoming projects include an organization-wide research project, where chapters can choose to participate in a nationwide research study, developed over the course of the school year, where student members can learn the basics of the scientific method, applied to issues relevant to high school students. Additionally, Psi Alpha intends to collect applications for a national student council, where members can take part in the development of Psi Alpha as an organization at the international level. Psi Alpha anticipates the 2023-2024 school year to be their biggest year to date with over 3800 members and over 90 chapters!
Learn how to start a Psi Alpha chapteropens in new window at your school,or reach out to Kristen Mitzel, Psi Alpha Director of Operations.
Kristen Mitzel is the current Director of Operations for Psi Alpha and is a recent graduate of Wright State University, earning a Master of Science in clinical mental health counseling and a Master of Education in school counseling. Her research interests include trauma informed care for youth and animal assisted therapy. She has a therapy dog named Eli, who she is currently integrating in programming with her students. She also enjoys working with indoor percussion and color guard ensembles in the Dayton, Ohio area, where she currently resides.
