We are pleased to announce the launch of Psi Alpha, the high school national honor society in psychology. Over the past six months, with guidance and input from teachers across the nation and in coordination with Psi Beta, Psi Alpha was formed.
Psi Alpha’s mission is to enhance America’s high school students’ awareness of the science of psychology and ways in which psychology benefits society. Psi Alpha’s goal is to acknowledge students’ passion for psychology by providing honor recognition, scholarship and leadership opportunities. Through curated projects Psi Alpha will inform student members about the important skills developed by psychology majors and the career opportunities available to psychology graduates. Benefits for student members include development of leadership, communication and collaboration skills relevant for college applications, stronger resumes and increased self-efficacy. Additionally, Psi Alpha will provide chapter advisors with opportunities for faculty recognition, mentorship experience and professional development.
Psi Alpha’s National Council consists of five regional vice presidents, an executive director, and liaisons with Psi Beta and Psi Chi.
- Executive Director – Elizabeth Shabazian
- Southeastern Regional Vice President – Traci McKinney
- Midwestern Regional Vice President – Heather Chambers
- Eastern Regional Vice President – John Mohl
- Southwestern Regional Vice President – Danielle Jones
- Western / Rocky Mountain Vice President – Emily Checketts
- Psi Beta Liaison – Bryan Gerber
- Psi Chi Liaison – John Edlund
Together, the new council has worked diligently to perfect an efficient charter process and is actively responding to requests from teachers and students to assist in membership and chapter startup. To ensure each chapter has adequate support and direction, chapter resources are being developed weekly. Resources under development include a chapter handbook that describes officer responsibilities and leadership tips, a month to month event and conference calendar, guidelines for hosting an on-campus Psychology Day, and ideas for service projects. One project option is the Giving Away Psychology (GAP) program in which Psi Alpha student members can present workshops to their peers on evidence-based topics in psychology that can benefit their high school peers. Examples of GAP workshop topics include Mindset and Neuroplasticity, Expert Study and Learning Strategies, Effective Interpersonal Communication and Understanding the Bystander Effect. Furthermore, Psi Alpha leaders will soon begin discussions on ways to provide Psi Alpha members with research experiences. With feedback and support, the Psi Alpha team is diligently working to mold Psi Alpha into an inclusive, motivating and foundational experience for students to explore psychology early in their academic journey.
On Oct. 23, the first ever Psi Alpha chapter, under faculty advisor Geraldine Acquard, was chartered at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland. As of November 20, two chapters have been chartered, and the charter process is underway for another eight high schools with applications coming in weekly. It is expected that Psi Alpha will have over sixty members by the end of 2018. With steady growth matching goals for the fiscal year, several small-scale scholarships and awards are expected to be distributed in spring 2019 for both students and chapters. With the official store soon to launch, students will also have the opportunity to showcase their honor status at school and at graduation. Over time, Psi Alpha hopes to partner with regional conferences to facilitate high school student attendance to expose motivated psychology students to the excitement of conference attendance.
With the formation of chapters and increased involvement of student and teacher members, Psi Alpha will seek ways to maximize activities and benefits for its members. 
Professional opportunities to assist Psi Alpha’s growth range from ideas for psychology event collaboration to the search for Psi Alpha’s first national president set for spring of 2019. The national president will work alongside the executive director to encourage chapter formation, represent Psi Alpha nationally and guide the national council to meet annual regional goals for the honor society. Additionally, the president will assist in notifying scholarship and award winners for high achieving students, chapters and advisors. The Psi Alpha National Council and Executive Team value a wide range of high school psychology teaching experiences and honor society involvement; they are open to all ideas for psychology-focused service learning activities, collaborative campus efforts and recruitment tools. More information regarding volunteer opportunities will be shared on the Psi Alpha email list and social media pages. If you are interested in learning more about Psi Alpha, please visit our websiteopens in new window or email us.
About the Author
Psi Alpha’s Executive Director Elizabeth Shabazian’s relationship with Psi Beta began in 2011 at Irvine Valley College in Irvine, California. Becoming active in their chapter’s research team, Shabazian worked alongside Executive Director Jerry Rudmann, PhD, on that year’s Psi Beta National Research Project, presenting at several conferences and winning multiple awards for their research that year. Shabazian’s participation in Psi Beta acted as a catalyst for her involvement on campus, that led to later leadership positions and internships. Upon graduation from community college, Shabazian transferred to California State University, Fullerton where she studied non-profit management and applied paraprofessional mental health care receiving their Bachelors of Science Magna Cum Laude in Human Services in 2014. Shabazian continued to work in business development and human resources, and in February of 2017 became Psi Beta’s executive assistant. By combining her educational and professional experience, Shabazian has worked to grow and support Psi Beta, and has founded Psi Alpha with Rudmann’s support. Motivated by their transformative involvement with Psi Beta, Shabazian hopes to bring these opportunities to students across the nation through Psi Alpha and Psi Beta while emphasizing student and chapter recognition. Shabazian lives in Laguna Beach, California where she also works as a peer support moderator for Supportiv, practices yoga and works as a massage therapist.
