This past spring, APA launched a new initiative—Engaging Psychology’s Future—led by 2025 APA president, Debra Kawahara, PhD. It was designed to introduce high school and community college students to psychology professionals, highlight diverse career paths, and spark interest in the field of psychology. Through this initiative, APA invites colleges and universities to partner with high schools or community colleges to host an in-person “Psyched for Success: Careers in Psychology” event to facilitate meaningful interactions between students and psychology professionals. APA supports this initiative with a dedicated website featuring resources, templates, and planning guidelines to help organize successful events—and even provides funding to support them. In this article, I will share the process and outcomes of the event that Maryville College, a liberal arts institution in Tennessee, hosted for students at Maryville High School.
We held a Zoom planning meeting that included several faculty members from our psychology department, teachers and career counselors from local high schools (four high schools representing three school districts in our county), and Maryville College students—specifically members of the Psychology Club and a community-engaged project team from my Professional Issues in Psychology course. During the meeting, we explained the initiative, outlined the timeline for the event (scheduled for after spring break in March, giving us less than two months to plan and execute), and gauged interest from the high schools. We collectively agreed to partner with one of the high schools, utilize the resources provided on the APA website, and apply for funding to support the event.
The project team from my Professional Issues course met with the high school teacher and several of his psychology classes to discuss the upcoming event and ask for assistance with promoting the event at their school. They created and distributed flyers, the principal promoted the event during morning announcements, and the psychology teacher offered bonus points to students who attended. Throughout the project, my students practiced key project management skills and applied Patrick Lencioni’s model for building healthy teamsopens in new window. They had regular check-ins, built trust, supported one another, held each other accountable, and worked through challenges together. As their instructor, it was rewarding to watch their growth and to see the pride and confidence they displayed during the event. They truly took ownership of the project!
The Maryville College leadership team of students and faculty invited local professionals to engage with the high school students during the event. Professionals were intentionally selected to reflect diverse career paths, specialties within psychology, work settings, and demographic backgrounds. We consulted with our alumni office, psychology faculty, and education faculty to identify and invite local psychology professionals. They included a school social worker and contract therapist who earned her MS in social work; a graduate student and sports industry and performance management consultant who earned his MS in sports psychology; an assistant professor of neuroscience who earned their PhD in neuroscience; an assistant professor of developmental psychology who earned her PhD in experimental psychology; and a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling who earned their BA in developmental psychology with relationship and sexual health track. The professionals received detailed guidelines including event logistics, suggested discussion topics, and reminders about age-appropriate content, given to the high school audience.
The event was designed to maximize interaction between the high school students and our panelists. The 90-minute event began with a welcome and introduction, followed by the APA-provided welcome video and slide presentation. Students were then divided into small groups while the psychology professionals rotated among them, spending about 10 minutes with each group which allowed for meaningful, small-group conversations. The professionals shared that the students were engaged, asked thoughtful questions, and some even requested follow-up communication. The event concluded with closing remarks, expressions of gratitude, feedback-form completion, and refreshments. Each participant received a swag bag and informational handouts as a thank you for attending.
We received funding for the event through APA, contributions from two student organizations (the Psychology Club and Scots Science Scholars), and donations of bags and swag from the psychology department, career center, and admissions. These funds were used to provide a modest honorarium for the five professionals, as well as to purchase pizza, cookies, beverages, and items for the participant swag bags. We were encouraged by the enthusiasm and generosity of others on campus, who were eager to support and help make the event a memorable experience for the high school students.
Our “Psyched for Success” event was impactful, well-received, and fostered valuable connections, with 24 engaged high school students in attendance, nine Maryville College students and faculty on the leadership team, and five dedicated professionals who generously shared their time, stories, and advice. We are deeply grateful to APA and Debra Kawahara, PhD, for spearheading this initiative and I encourage others to consider organizing a similar event—it’s a meaningful and rewarding experience for everyone involved!
Be sure to visit the website for Engaging Psychology’s Future and explore the resources, guidelines, and templates that are provided.
Kathie Shiba is an assistant dean for faculty development and a professor of psychology at Maryville College (since 1994). She coordinates orientation and mentoring programs for new faculty, leads trainings for faculty and staff, and continues to teach and mentor students in psychology courses and other core courses. She has led students on travel study trips to Japan, Brazil, and Vietnam, civil rights explorations in the southeast USA, and traveled with students to California to examine lived experiences at the Mexico-USA border and the internment of Japanese heritage people due to the 1942 Executive order 9066. These trips afforded students new opportunities to interact with and learn about people, places, cultures, histories, organizations, and institutions. In addition, her Positive Psychology Laboratory examined the impact of racial, national origin, sexual, and gender prejudice on college campuses and students’ use of coping skills, resiliency, and education, as well as recommended ways the institution could better create an environment that supports belonging. Shiba earned her PhD in experimental psychology with a focus on developmental psychology from the University of California, Riverside in 1994.
