Student Representative report

First, let me say congratulations for completing another year of graduate school. This is an exciting time to be a student member of the Psychologist in Public Service Division. The executive committee has been making an effort to increase student involved in Division 18 through the campus representative program, by introducing student section representatives, and through a number of other means. Thus, the first thing I would like to do is put out a call for other Division 18 students who are looking to get involved. If you are interested in becoming more active in Division 18, please contact me and let me know that would like to be more involved. Members of the executive committee and I have several different areas that we think a student contribute to within the division.

Recently, I have spoken to several students and members who have mentioned that they not receiving some of their perks of being a Division 18 member. To understand and address the problem, I created a brief survey (less than five minutes) for students to complete. This survey was also posted on the email list so you may have already completed it. I would appreciate you taking a moment so I can ensure division members are receiving all their perks.

Also, it is with great pleasure that I get to formally announce the creation of the Division 18 Dissertation Award Possible interlink. With the help of both the executive committee and the student section representatives, the division was able to create a $250 award for the upcoming year. Unlike other Division 18 student awards which award students for outstanding achievement, this will be used to provide funds for a dissertation that is yet to be completed. Look for information during spring 2013 semester for the application forms.

Finally, I hope all of you are taking time this summer to enjoy the APA Convention in Orlando, Fla. If you are, I would encourage you to attend many of the great Division 18 events and programming. This is a great time to network and meet many senior members of Division 18. For those of you applying to internship, this is a great way to personally meet many internship site directors. I can speak from experience that within my first two years of attending APA, I met between 15 and 20 directors just by attending Division 18 social events. In addition, my primary reason for attending the convention this year is to network with other students in the division so I can better fill my role in the upcoming year. I would encourage any of you attending the conference to personally email me so we can meet in Orlando.

As always, if there is anything else I can do, feel free to email me. I hope you all have an excellent and productive summer.