USC Upstate Psychology Department

Home
United States
Spartanburg, SC
USC Upstate Psychology Department

The USC Upstate Psychology Department serves Psychology Majors, Minors, and students who generally think psychology is awesome! www.uscupstate.edu

The opinions expressed on these pages are strictly those of USC Upstate's Psychology Department and do not reflect the views of the University of South Carolina Upstate.

06/03/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Caden Sanders graduated in May 2026 and is most proud of achieving Summa Cum Laude. He now plans to attend the University of North Georgia to pursue a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology while serving as the graduate assistant golf coach. One of his favorite memories at USC Upstate was spending evenings in the library with friends, working on assignments before heading to Andy’s afterward as a reward—even if most of the library session ended up being spent chatting. Although he does advise his fellow students to “stay diligent and stay on top of your work. If you complete your work on time and plan ahead properly it will be an enjoyable experience.” While he enjoyed many courses, Social Psychology stood out because he could see its direct connection to real-life situations. He also valued Senior Seminar, which helped him better analyze articles and think critically about research. What he appreciated most about the psychology program was the one-on-one connections he built with professors and how much they cared about student success. As a student-athlete, he especially appreciated that professors worked with him when he missed class and helped make balancing responsibilities more manageable.

05/31/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Katelin Nations graduated this May. She is currently interning at the St. Francis NICU while completing her CCMA course over the summer with future aspirations of a physician assistant, which has been a life-long desire. She is most proud of how her life experiences have centered on serving others with compassion, empathy, and respect, and her experiences have shaped her ability to connect with individuals beyond their diagnoses and recognize the human stories. Her favorite memory at Upstate was presenting her independent research project in Research Methods with Dr. Barideaux, where she enjoyed viewing classmates’ work, explaining her research, and celebrating the accomplishment with the class. Some other favorite courses included Sensation and Perception with Dr. Meek, and Cell and Molecular Biology with Dr. Shorter. She appreciated meeting amazing students in the program and the support of faculty who always helped her succeed. She especially thanks Dr. Barideaux, Dr. Meek, and Dr. Bunde for believing in her. “These professors have a special skill and make every class one to look forward to.” Her advice to classmates is “When it gets rough, DO NOT give up, you are not alone. You should always utilize your resources, reach out to your professors, and try to find a classmate you can communicate with! Take a deep breath and keep going! You can do anything you put your mind to!”

05/28/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Michaela Lopez, a May 2026 graduate, has spent her time at USC Upstate stepping outside of her comfort zone and discovering confidence in herself. One accomplishment she is most proud of is getting involved in research, which completely changed her perspective. She shares that it pushed her to think critically, ask better questions, and trust her ability. In fact, presenting at the Research Symposium, something she had been nervous about all semester, became one of the most rewarding experiences because she was able to share her work and connect with faculty and students. She says it is hard to choose just one favorite course, as Social Psychology w/ Dr. Hannay, Health Psychology w/ Dr. Bunde, Research Methods w/ Dr. Ruppel, and Senior Seminar w/ Dr. Gray all stood out. Overall, she appreciated the psychology professors, noting that they genuinely cared about students as people and created an environment where she felt supported, challenged, and encouraged to grow. She especially thanks Dr. Ruppel for helping her build confidence in her abilities and pushing her outside of her comfort zone. After graduation, she plans to pursue flight training with the goal of becoming a pilot; “Psychology is something I’ll always be passionate about, but I’ve always had a strong pull toward aviation. I want to give myself the opportunity to fully pursue it and see where it leads.” Her advice to classmates: “It’s okay to not have everything figured out. There were many moments where I felt uncertain about my path or questioned if I was doing enough, but it is a part of the process. Growth isn’t linear. There are ups and downs, and both are necessary. Trust that things will come together, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.” She also shares that “Not knowing what comes next doesn’t mean you’re lost. I used to feel that way more often than I’d like to admit, and I know how heavy that uncertainty can feel. But you grow, you adapt, and eventually, things start to make sense in ways you couldn’t have planned. Trust the process, even when it feels unclear.”

05/25/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Megan Boyd is one of our May 2026 graduates! She is most proud of minoring in Spanish interpretation/translation and gaining a basic but extensive introduction to the language. Although she was initially overwhelmed and unsure of herself, and even considered changing her minor, she now plans to continue building on her current knowledge and feels confident that she can become a fluent speaker. Her favorite psychology course was Psychological Disorders because it was “interesting, insightful & encouraged a lot of self reflection.” She also valued all of her Spanish courses, as well as African American Studies. Her favorite USC Upstate memories include midnight breakfast and sliding down the hill near the dorms during a snow day when classes were cancelled. Her advice to classmates is to explore the different disciplines within psychology, identify the areas that interest them most, and become familiar with Degree Works and the courses that align with those interests. She appreciated that the psychology program was thorough, moderately challenging, and included a lot of variety, and she also valued how communicative and helpful her professors were. She expresses particular appreciation to Dr. Ruppel, Dr. Christ, Dr. Hannay, Dr. Beer, Georgia McClintock, Scott Smith, and all of the Health & Counseling Services staff. At the moment she plans to seek a position within health administration, before eventually pursuing her master’s degree. She shares that her time at USC Upstate was “a great growing experience” and that she loved her time here.

05/17/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Takira Williams is a May 2026 graduate! During her time at USC Upstate, she is most proud of earning placement on the Dean’s List three times. One of her favorite memories was serving as a senator for SGA and traveling to Columbia to visit the state capital. As she reflects on her experience, her advice to classmates is to “go to class and build connections with your professors and peers, because you never know when those relationships may benefit you in the future.” She appreciated how caring and supportive the psychology professors were and how they took time to ensure students truly understood the material and could succeed. She expresses gratitude to God for guiding her throughout her journey, as well as to Prof. Jodie Martin for providing her with an internship where she was able to network, build meaningful relationships, and gain valuable experience. Her favorite psychology course was Developmental Psychology because it helped prepare her for a future career working with children. She also valued African American Studies, where she gained a deeper understanding of history, culture, and lived experiences. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school for Occupational Therapy with the goal of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist. As a first-generation college student, she shares that this accomplishment means everything to both her and her family, and she also thanks USC Upstate for giving her the opportunity to grow and succeed.

05/14/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Mikaela Way is one of our May 2026 graduates! After graduation, she plans to pursue master’s degrees in Women and Gender Studies and Experimental Psychology, with the eventual goal of earning a combined PhD in those fields. Her favorite psychology course was Psychology of Women, which helped her realize she could pursue her interests in women and gender studies alongside psychology. She also valued Feminist Disability Studies, which introduced her to Women and Gender Studies and led to opportunities including presentations at the WGS South conference, receiving the Outstanding Minor in WGS award, and attending consortiums over the last two summers. She is most proud of being awarded the Jerry D. Lehman Award for Outstanding Psychology Major. One of her favorite memories at USC Upstate was presenting her poster on her independent research study at the Research Symposium. She shares that it was “terrifying but so rewarding” to talk about what she had been working on all year. Her advice to classmates is: “Don’t be afraid to throw yourself into the deep end and try things outside your comfort zone. Presenting for the first time can feel nerve wracking, but it is always worth it. The moments that scare you a little are usually the ones that help you grow the most.” She shares that Upstate prepared her for graduate school by providing research mentorship and giving her hands-on experience in research and presenting independent projects. She expresses appreciation to Dr. Hannay [“Dr. Hannay has been incredibly supportive and believed in me in ways that changed how I see myself.”], who helped her discover this love for research and gave her the confidence to pursue a future as a professor.

05/11/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Exavion Valentine is another May 2026 graduate! After graduation, he plans to earn his master’s degree to practice therapy and eventually own a practice focused on outreach and making mental health services more accessible. During his time at Upstate, he is most proud of keeping his name on the Dean’s List and one of his favorite memories was planting a memorial tree with his classmates during freshman year. He appreciated that everyone he interacted with in the psychology program was “generally so kind and understanding,” as well as the efforts made to create a safe learning environment. He also expresses particular appreciation for Dr. Gray, Dr. Hannay, and Dr. Ruppel. His favorite psychology course was Sensation and Perception because it “answered all the questions I’ve had floating around in my head forever,” while also teaching him how those concepts apply to day-to-day life. His advice to classmates is to “make connections not only with people, but across class concepts—it makes everything a little easier.” He also shares this reminder with others: “Take care of yourself, even when it’s hard. You are always worth it.”

05/07/2026

Celebrating our students is one of the most joyous parts of our job. Whether it’s adding new members to the honors society Psi Chi, honoring Dean’s list achievement or academic honors and awards, or watching them earn the degrees they have worked so hard for, we are so grateful to get to take this journey with our students. I never manage to get them all in the photos, but congratulations to all of you!

04/30/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Brooklyn Lawter will be graduating this coming May! She is most proud not just of earning her degree, but of everything it took to get there. As a first-generation student balancing a full-time job and motherhood while staying on the Dean’s List, she takes pride in her persistence and determination. She also shares that completing her degree without taking on debt reflects the discipline and sacrifices she made for her future and her family. She advises classmates to find what motivates them, sharing that her daughter was her driving force during long nights of studying. She appreciated the unwavering support from her professors, noting that she always felt comfortable approaching them for help with both personal and academic challenges. In fact, her favorite memories include the meaningful conversations she had with her professors, which allowed her to connect with them on a deeper level. I/O psychology was her favorite psychology course and she expresses appreciation to Professor Travis, whose I/O Psychology course sparked her interest in pursuing a career in HR. She also valued her Career Management course, where she developed skills in networking, resume writing, professional communication, and building confidence with employers. After graduation, she will begin her career at Oshkosh Delivery in Spartanburg, where she has been interning since June as an HR Training Intern and will move into an HR Coordinator role. She also plans to pursue her SHRM certification and return for her master’s degree in the future.

04/26/2026

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Arden Montjoy will be graduating in May 2026! She is most proud of participating in an internship at Roebuck Elementary in their Deaf/Hard of Hearing classroom and seeing that her signing is at a level where she can see her improvement. Her favorite memory is when she received a name sign, “a signed representation of your name used as an identifier when signing with members of the Deaf community,” which is a milestone and “an indicator of acceptance and welcome from the Deaf community.” She shares that this experience made her certain she wanted to continue learning sign language and growing connections with the Deaf and hard of hearing community. Her advice to classmates is, “don’t wait to go to office hours and speak to your professors… even if speaking to your professors feels like the scariest thing in the world, you can do it and you will thank yourself later.” She appreciated that the atmosphere within the psychology department is “one of curiosity rather than judgement,” where not understanding something is “simply an area of growth, not a weakness,” and she valued how personable the professors are. She also expresses particular appreciation to Dr. Lana Cromeenes in ASLG for “teaching me my ABCs and giving me the tools to connect with the Deaf community” and for encouraging her “to try and do it imperfectly rather than not try at all.” Her favorite psychology course was Independent Research with Dr. Hannay, where presenting a research topic, gathering data, and reporting findings gave her a better understanding of the research process and confidence to pursue new experiences. She also valued System Responses to Child Maltreatment, which helped her learn about multidisciplinary teams and realize she could work as an attorney within child advocacy. Overall, her experiences have taught her “Don’t let the fear of making mistakes stop you from trying in the first place.” After graduation, she plans to begin a Master of Social Work at USC Columbia and hopes to pursue law school to complete both her M.S.W. and J.D.

Address

800 University Way
Spartanburg, SC
29303

Telephone

+18645035706

Website

https://uscupstate.edu/academics/college-of-arts-humanities-and-social-science/psychology/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when USC Upstate Psychology Department posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to USC Upstate Psychology Department:

Shortcuts

Want your university to be the top-listed University in Spartanburg?