SASP Diversity Scholarship

Division 16 generously provides the Diversity Scholarship to support SASP members from underrepresented cultural backgrounds as they endeavor to become a part of the inspiring profession of school psychology. SASP is aware of the financial pressures that graduate students experience and thus offers the Diversity Scholarship Program to provide monetary support to aid students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Two annual awards of $500 are given to master's/specialist or doctoral students who will be entering their first or second year of graduate training to help defer some of the costs acquired through graduate study. This is a one-time award; individuals granted the awards may not reapply in subsequent years.

One annual award of $1,000 is given to an advanced masters/specialist or doctoral student who will be entering their third, fourth, or fifth year of graduate training to help defer some of the costs acquired through graduate study or in preparation for internship. This is a one-time award; individuals granted the award may not reapply in subsequent years.

Incoming Student Diversity

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013-2014 Incoming Student Diversity Scholarships: Brandis Ruise and Megan Sy.

Brandis Ruise received her bachelor of arts in Women's Studies from the University of Florida. During her undergraduate career, she worked in the Child Attention & Memory lab where her interest in how executive functioning affects student outcomes developed.

In the fall, Ms. Ruise will be entering her second year of the school psychology doctoral program at the University of Rhode Island. This past year, she worked as a research fellow at the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities. As a fellow, she collaborated on interdisciplinary projects focused on promoting health literacy of families from underrepresented groups. Additionally, she worked as a behavior analyst conducting skill-based assessments and providing consultative services to families of children diagnosed with autism.

Next year, Ms. Ruise will serve as a graduate assistant, teaching various sections of undergraduate psychology courses in child development and personality theories. Her general interests include program evaluation and the development of culturally sensitive interventions for children with developmental disabilities.

Megan Sy was born and raised in the Philippines. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Ateneo de Manila University, before coming to the U.S. to pursue a graduate degree at New York University. In the fall of 2014 she will be a second year doctoral student at St. John's University. She has worked on research projects related to immigrant parents' school involvement, adolescents' perceptions of unfair treatment, and international school psychology.

Megan's main research interests involve ethnic minority identity and Filipino/Filipino-American psychology. Specifically, she is interested in experiences of discrimination, internalized oppression, and how these affect cultural identification, school adjustment, and academic success.

Advanced Student Diversity

Congratulations to the winner of the 2013-2014 Advanced Student Diversity Scholarship, Charity Brown Griffen.

Ms. Griffin is a rising fifth-year doctoral student at the University of South Carolina. Currently she is working on her dissertation which examines relationships among school racial climate, school engagement and academic achievement in African American adolescent youth.

For the past year, Ms. Griffin has been receiving extensive training and supervision in implementing evidence-based interventions with ethnic minority children and families at the university-based Psychological Services Center. In addition Ms. Griffin has implemented Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with survivors of sexual and physical abuse and neglect at a local non-profit organization that addresses the effects of child abuse.

Ms. Griffin will be completing her predoctoral internship with Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina beginning July 2013. Afterwards, she plans to pursue her interests related to cultural factors impacting achievement-related outcomes in African American youth.

2012:  Tamique Ridgard, Lehigh University (Incoming Student Award)
2012:  Leslie Jenkins, Indiana University (Advanced Student Award)
2011:  Sierra Brown, Duquesne University (Incoming Student Award)
2011:  Imad Zaheer, Lehigh University (Advanced Student Award)
2010:  Giselle Colorado
2010:  Stacy White
2009:  Ya Zhang, Michigan State University
2009:  Lillie Huddleston, Georgia State University