UNH Today

Are you part of the most popular major of psychology here at UNH? Is there something about the subject that sparks your interest and gets your mind moving? Think about joining the psychology club. The psychology club offers unique opportunities to engage in conferences and events to help enhance your knowledge of and experience with psychology. It's for people within the major as well as everyone else. This club truly opens the doors to understanding what psychology is all about, through interactions with UNH faculty, fellow club members and visitors from the psychology field. Plus, you'll form friendships and networking opportunities with professionals in the community.

Psychology club focuses on three main areas: career readiness, academic skills and leadership skills. The skills you gain can be applied to your career and life, as you'll advance your competence on the topic. UNH Tales reached out to Sriyaa Shah ’18, the president of psychology club, to get some insider knowledge. Shah is a double major in psychology and communication and has been the leader of the organization since 2016.

UNH Tales: What is the psychology club?

Shah: Psychology club aims to gather psychology majors, minors and enthusiasts alike in order to pass along knowledge of the psychology field while generating friendships and connections within the department and community. We hold workshops to help make our members career ready and develop academic skills, and we have fun activities to develop leadership skills. Furthermore, we discuss possible career paths, graduate school and what's new in psychology worldwide and at UNH.

"We had an incredibly successful year; our first meeting had more than 80 people in attendance."

UNH Tales: What made you want to be president and take such a strong role with this organization?

Shah: I think I saw the potential in psych club and the major, and I knew we could make so much more out of it. Psychology club was not very popular before the e-board of 2016-2017 took over, and we spent at least 40 hours during summer to completely revamp the club and develop steady marketing tools and meetings. We had an incredibly successful year; our first meeting had more than 80 people in attendance. We didn't have chairs for that many people! After a year of trials and triumphs, I have grown so close to psych club. It's like my child now. So, I knew I wanted another year as the president so I could continue being involved in this amazing organization and grow with it.

UNH Tales: What are some of the club's events aimed at doing for students who attend, and what are some of the resources offered to students at these events?

Shah: I like to think we cover various different regimes, giving our members a complete package of what they want to do. This semester we have started something new called “Help A Friend.” In this series we go through various scenarios that are common on college campuses (eating disorders, biases, relationships) and we navigate how to help a friend who is dealing with them. We also have voluntary projects to get our members involved in the community and give back to our university. It is also for students who want to display their dexterity by competing in events like Psych Cup, hosted by the New Hampshire Psychological Association. In addition to all of this, we frequently have professors come in to talk about their career paths and the research that they are conducting so students can inspired. Finally, we have a graduate student and career panel every semester, because we identified that many students were confused about how could they use their psychology degree.

UNH Tales: What got you interested in psychology to begin with?

Shah: Changing to the psych major in my sophomore year, I felt like I didnt have a lot of connections and friends within the department. I joined realizing it would open doors to career and personal opportunities. I was also interested in learning more about the faculty and research that was going on within the department and at UNH.

UNH Tales: When was psychology club founded and what's some of the history behind it?

Shah: Psychology club is very old, so the definite history is not certain. Although, I can tell you that we have completely revamped it and given it more structure since 2016, so we have had steady members, interests and programs. I think we are making history.

UNH Tales: How has your involvement in this organization shaped you?

Shah: I think it has had a major role in shaping me as a leader, and through the experience I've learned so much about myself. I think it brings you to a new level of being responsible, making strategies and connections and decision making, because it impacts the experiences of many individuals. I think I even became close to the faculty and staff in the department and have the opportunity to work alongside an amazing team of dynamic individuals who are very talented and accomplished.

UNH Tales: Why should students join psychology club?

Shah: It never hurts to learn about human behavior. I think it is a skill that is helpful in a variety of different fields and areas of life, from professional to spiritual to personal. We also have food at our meetings!