A Conversation with the Co-Presidents of the Psychology Club

October 3, 2023 - Shelly DeJong

Olivia Dunmore and Siya Vesikar are the co-presidents of the Psychology Club, a campus group for anyone interested in the field of psychology. Students connect with their peers, volunteer at various events, and get insights into a variety of career opportunities. We recently talked with Olivia and Siya about what they love about the Psychology Club and their goals for this year. 

 

Can you introduce yourselves?  

Siya: I am currently a junior studying Psychology and double minoring in Leadership of Org and Business, and I’m from Farmington Hills, Michigan. I’ve been involved in the Psychology Club since my first year. My sophomore year I became the treasurer and now I’m the co-president!  

Olivia: I’m a senior from West Bloomfield, Michigan. I’m a Neuroscience and Psychology major. I’ve been in the Psychology Club since my first year. I became the Director of Recruitment my sophomore year and junior year, and now I’m in the role of co-president. 

 

How did you end up being interested in studying Psychology?  

Siya: Coming into college, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I just knew that I was very interested in how the brain works and other basic aspects of psychology. After my first year, I realized that I was really interested in consumer behavior, which mixes psychology and marketing in a way that I’m interested in. 

Olivia: I took AP Psych in high school and absolutely loved it. I know I wanted to go into the medical field though, so I liked that you could do Neuroscience with Psychology at MSU. I like how they play off of each other as well. 

 

What do you like about the Psychology Club and your role as co-presidents? 

Siya: It's nice to have a community of people with similar interests to us. Being a co-president has really given us the opportunity to get along with different types of people and kind of figure out what types of leaders we are. We’re getting experience leading others but also learning valuable time management and organizational skills. 

Olivia: I like Psych Club because it puts a group of people together that all enjoy the same things and want to be there to hear the guest speakers. It's nice to talk to others about similar interests. I've always liked leadership roles, so becoming co-president was perfect. I like it a lot, especially working with Siya. Everything flows well with our e-board. It's definitely improved my leadership skills as well as my communication skills. I've never had to talk in front of such a big group!  

Do you have any goals for the Psychology Club this year? 

Siya: One thing we're passionate about this year is creating a better social environment for our members. The past two years have been difficult to do that coming back from COVID. So, we really want to provide our members with the opportunity to get to know each other better. Our plan is to have at least one or two social events per semester and at least one social meeting. 

Olivia: And adding to that, in the past we only met in lecture style rooms, so we're trying to meet in rooms with tables and chairs so that people can communicate with each other and make friends easier. We want our members to meet other people who might be in their classes or who they can travel through the psychology program with.  

We have a game night in the works right now and we’re planning on doing study hours again, so no one has to sit alone at the library. 

 

Do you have any advice for anyone thinking about attending the Psychology Club?  

Siya: Put yourself out there especially if you’re in your first year The Psychology Club does not require you to be a psych major, so we’d love to have you come to our meetings even if it's something that you're just interested in learning more about 

Olivia: With the Psychology Club, you kind of get out of it, what you put into it. If you want to come and just hang out in the back to listen to our speakers, that's awesome. But if you want to talk with others and get involved, you could end up with some friends. 

 

Has the Psychology Club helped you figure out what you wanted to focus in? 

Siya: When I was a first-year student, and even though I was a sophomore last year, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I remember we had an HR guest speaker come in to the Psychology Club and I remember being really drawn to that. That's still something that I think I might want to do in the future. So, it definitely opened up a lot of opportunities for me to learn more about different fields of psychology.  

Olivia: I have always known that I wanted to go into the medical field. But having a psych background and learning about different aspects of psychology is important in the medical field. It's extremely beneficial, especially when working with different patients because you never know what they've gone through.  

 

Anything that you’d like to add? 

Siya: We are starting a point system for the Psychology Club. In order to be an active member, you have to get five points the first semester and six points the second semester. 

Olivia: Meetings are one point and social events are two points. So, you can choose how you want to get involved. As an active member, you’ll get a certificate that shows your membership. And for our graduating seniors, we're working on getting them chords!