Alumni

Amanda Fitts held a narrow focus when choosing where she went to college. Ultimately, it led to the UIUC Psych program and one course taught by Eva Pomerantz. Now she is currently the College and...

Tom Haig visited the University of Illinois to consider joining the diving team and stayed because of the educational opportunity. After graduation, Tom and his brother took a unique trip to Italy...

This is the first guest on Sixth & Daniel, who is currently working for the university! We discussed Nikki's college days and determining where her career would lead. During the interview, she...

Patty Jones is a visionary leader at the nexus of research, innovation, and academic excellence. She graduated magna cum laude from Illinois with a degree in psychology in 1986, where he...

Jocelyn joined us as a guest in a previous Alumni Career Panel and really made a splash, so it was natural to have her back to expand her thoughts and experiences. On this episode we discuss...the...

Jacob Triplett graduated in 2021, so this was my first time speaking with a NEW member of our alumni family. He is a Senior HR Manager for Proctor and Gamble and is eager to establish a psych grad...

Amy Charvat joins us on the show to give insight into the world of Occupational Therapy. We discuss her decision to step out of her comfort zone in choosing a bigger university than initially...

Dr. Patricia Deldin is currently a Professor at the University of Michigan in the Departments of Psychology (Clinical and Cognitive areas) and Psychiatry, and Vice President of Behavioral Health at...

Keeping it close to home once again with our latest guest, Matt Difanis. After leaving the halls of Sixth & Daniel, Matt pursued his law degree while becoming a practicing Realtor. We delve into...

Dr. Dohleman is currently the Director of Organizational Research at AbbVie in the Chicagoland area. We discussed how her career all started at a job fair here at UIUC! We travel through her career...

Our first "townie" guest on Sixth & Daniel! Lisa Sullivan gives a unique perspective of her experience with the campus from a student, resident, and mother of a current attendee. We cover her...

Maximizing the potential of your mind and body is Jimmy's specialty. He is the owner of Ingrained2Train in Naperville, Illinois.  We discussed his journey to unlocking that desire to help others...

    Learn about the world of "unconsulting" from the CEO and Co-Founder of Inspirant Group! We talked with Meg about her path to her current role, creating...

Paige Fox is an Attorney at Chuhak & Tecson who specializes in Elder Law. She is also an advocate, an ally, a fantasy football player, a beach bum, and a former bartender! These are just some of...

Dr. Bokhari has been quickly climbing the ranks in Major League Baseball over the past seven years. He is currently the Assistant General Manager of the Chicago Cubs.   Before starting that journey...

Dr. Hallinger is a translational behavioral scientist on a mission to spread the word about real-world applications of motivation and behavior change strategies to various industries, especially in...

To kick off the first episode of the department's Podcast, we welcome back Dr. Patricia Deldin!  Dr. Deldin is currently a Professor at the University of Michigan in the Departments of Psychology...

Sometimes it is just easier to consume media when you are walking to class, doing the laundry, or cooking a meal... Therefore, our department will be introducing a new podcast in the spring semester...

Dr. Michael Walker is the distinguished Presidential Appointee and Director of the Center for Research on Validity, Fairness & Equity in Learning and Assessment at the Educational Testing Service...

One day you have your career path in front of you, and then you notice a small ad in a magazine. Captain Katharine Shobe has amassed an amazing career. We discuss how she got to where she is, her...

We caught up with writer, instructor, and keynote speaker Alice McGinty to discuss her time at the University, and how her degree in Psychology aided her on her path to accomplish her career goals...

  In an effort to provide increased support to students, several e-mentors have offered to meet with students on video calls (via Skype or Zoom), in addition to responding to emails.  This support ...

I want to thank the Psychology Alumni Advisory Board for this generous award in support of my attendance at the 20th annual meeting of the Vision Sciences Society. Participation in this conference is...

I am grateful to the Alumni Advisory Board for providing me with travel funds to support my attendance to the Annual Anxiety and Depression Conference. During a poster session, I presented my study...

Loren Kuzuhara earned his B.S. degree in Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1985. He went on to earn an MBA in 1993 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a PhD in...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I chose Psychology as a major after taking a child psychology class and feeling enthralled with the whole concept of learning and development. My...

My passionate interest in helping people live their lives to their fullest potential is what attracted me to psychology. My early training and experiences prepared me for career opportunities that I...

Tynisa Gaines is an Enrolled Agent which is the highest license granted to a tax professional to represent clients before the IRS nationwide. In my private tax practice, even though clients are not...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I have always been interested in human behavior, how the brain works, and what drives us to make the choices we make. What...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I was always interested in human behavior and the underlying physiological process underlying those behaviors. What specific...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? Studying the human mind always fascinated me. I also wanted a broad based area of study the would be applicable for many...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? People have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. I clearly remember being an 8th grader reading a book called "Why We Do What We...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in human behavior and its neurologic and psychologic underpinnings. As I began to...

I started at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign in 1975 with my major in Pre-Dental. The school dropped that as a major after my first year and put me into Biology. Unfortunately, being...

When I applied to the University of Illinois as a high school senior, I was planning to be a math teacher. Then a co-worker at the local fast food restaurant where I worked after school brought her...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I chose Psychology because I wanted to be a therapist and was interested in human behavior. I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology Major...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I took a few psychology classes in high school and loved them. I knew that was the area I wanted to study after taking those courses...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I took Psych 100 and then Psych 338 and was hooked. I think playing catcher in Little League and spending so much time talking pitchers...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I always loved studying why people think or behave the way they do. I wanted to be psychiatrist initially. What specific...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? When I started college, I knew I wanted to help people, and I was interested in the field of psychology. At the time, I believed I would...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? Majoring in psychology was not on my radar when I enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I started as a pre-med...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I took an “intro to psychology” class in high school and really enjoyed it.  When I first came to Illinois, I was pursuing a degree in...

I am currently a licensed clinical professional counselor and board certified dance/movement therapist practicing in Chicago, IL.  I own and operate Chicago Dance Therapy, Chicago’s premier dance...

How/why did you choose Psychology as a major? I took Psychology 101, fell in love, and the rest was history.  My professor was young and dynamic in the classroom and all of the other...

I chose psychology as a major because I was interested in the cause and effect of human behavior and interactions. As a psychology major, the college advising department encouraged me to take...

The Psychology Alumni Advisory Board has designated funds from the Shape the Future Today Fund to support graduate student conference travel.  Graduate students who are...