The possibility of getting lost in a crowd can be an overwhelming feeling for many of us who are new to a large and prolific organization such as APA. Even smaller, interest-driven groups like our Division 15, intending to provide an intimate community to fit into can still feel alienating. As new members, both Nick and I navigated these challenges and were fortunate to find an exciting place to fit in – the APA Graduate Student Organization (APAGS). Now we hope that we can assist you in finding your own comfort zone within our organization.
As APAGS representatives our goal is to ensure that all our student members are kept in the loop about the most relevant information regarding Division 15’s initiatives and regarding opportunities for professional development. Along with personal e-mails (like the welcome e-mail that you should have received from us), we believe that our blog posts can serve this purpose well. We hope that you will find the time to visit the Div15 blog (link?) periodically and help us maintain an open channel of communication.
Specifically, we are looking to use this blog to create a space for productive dialogue among our members. Over the next few weeks you can expect to see posts on, but not limited to, the following topics.
- Steps for how you can maximize the benefits of your membership when engaging in our networking opportunities, attending conferences, and applying for funding.
- Initiatives and opportunities that exist within Division 15 as well as within the larger APA organization that might be beneficial to you.
- Student research! Many of our student members are generating or contemplating fascinating research topics that advance both theory and practice in the field of Educational Psychology. We believe that this blog space could be effectively used by us to share, collaborate, and/or disseminate ideas and findings to our academic and professional peers. The goal would be to create a community of learners facilitated by our regular posts.
- Disseminating information about our bi-yearly student surveys and its’ findings that enable us to understand the needs and interests of our student body on a deeper level.
Maintaining an open channel of communication is crucial for the success of any community. Nick and I encourage you to provide us with feedback and potential ideas for improving and tackling topics that would be most relevant and beneficial to you. Please feel free to reach us at [email protected] or [email protected] at any time with questions, suggestions, and problems that we can try to address collaboratively.