Friday, November 21st 2008                             [ versión español ]

A group of 24 students from the Psychology Program of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) made history as the first chapter initiated into the National Honor Society of Psychology, which has come to be known as Psi Chi.

“For us, it’s an honor that the first chapter in Puerto Rico, of one of the largest and most successful associations in the world, be established at our Campus,” commented Zaadé A. Torres, president of the Association.

This National Honor Society in Psychology was founded almost 80 years ago at Yale University, in Connecticut, with the intention of promoting, inspiring and conserving excellence, for example, developing the science of psychology. With this intention in mind, the establishment of the UPRM chapter was of great importance for the students.

Doctor Bernadette Delgado, Psychology professor and mentor of the UPRM Chapter, affirmed that the association’s installation is of great value because of what it implies for the students’ professional futures.

“When Zaadé approached me with the idea, I understood that it was necessary for the students to have an honor association because it would encourage the students to identify with the profession in the time that they are earning their bachelors’ degrees and lead them to include the goal of excellence in their program, which will help them to continue on to graduate studies,” stated Delgado.

Torres explained that Psi Chi favors academic excellence because it demands that students maintain a certain GPA and show discipline to be a part of the association. She added that its members must meet these requirements: he/she must be an undergraduate student in the field of psychology, they must have completed their first year of study, and have a GPA of 3.5 in both their concentration and general classes.

“By mentioning these criteria, we are able to realize the responsibility and commitment involved because it is encountered explicitly in requirements that members of Psi Chi must meet,” said Torres.

During the initiation ceremony, doctor Guillermo Bernal, professor of the Psychology Department at the UPR Río Piedras Campus, noted that the establishment of this Chapter is an important step for all of the UPR system, it establishes a community of academic excellence and forms a mentor research program that looks for professional improvement in all of Puerto Rico.

“We investigate to learn, transform, contribute to social justice and develop excellence. This chapter can serve as a tool to empower the aspirations of future researchers. This chapter makes you part of a larger community that endorses and sustains your development as a professional,” expressed Bernal, who is an honorary member of Psi Chi.

In Delgado’s opinion these students should forge their careers in psychology and become agents of change that will positively influence their profession.

“The values and principles that promote this organization are reflected in its contributions and the mental and emotional health of our country, which produces our students,” reiterated Delgado.

Torres mentioned that Psi Chi members enjoy the benefits of belonging to a well known and distinguished society in the United States, the American Psychological Association (APA), with the opportunity to visit and participate in its annual conference.

“Students initiated have the opportunity to present their research in the regional area, as well as nationally. Also, we receive a magazine entitled, Eye on PSI CHI, which offers information gathered from new investigations in the field of psychology and we have the opportunity to publish our works in the magazine, Undergraduated Research,” informed Torres.

The board of directors for the new chapter is composed by the students, Zaadé A. Torres Méndez, president; Frances M. Figueroa Nieves, vice-president; Sharlaine M. Ortiz Díaz, secretary; and Virginia M. Ramos Matías, treasurer, who have new projects in mind for the academic program of this discipline at UPRM.

“We are planning to work on mentoring new students in the psychology program, and community service, as well as promoting the importance of mental health and spreading the message throughout institution and the Island,” noted Torres.

The initiation ceremony was attended by (from left to right), the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Doctor Moisés Orengo, Doctor Guillermo Bernal, Doctor Bernadette Delgado, President of the Chapter, Zaadé Torres, and the Chancellor, Doctor Jorge Iván Vélez Arocho, Dean of Administration, José A. Frontera, and Vice-president, Frances Figueroa.

 
UPRM students who are part of the first Chapter of the National Honor Society of Puerto Rico, in this image you can see the official shirt of its members.

The swearing in of Psi Chi. In the first row, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor María Babot, Dean of Arts and Sciences Moisés Orengo and Chancellor, Jorge I. Vélez Arocho.

Photos by Alessandra Otero Ramos / UPRM Press