Student Spotlight: Brandyn Keyes

March 30, 2023 - Shelly DeJong

Brandyn Keyes is a senior psychology major from Rochester, Michigan. After first trying out a business major, Brandyn quickly found his fit in psychology.  He recently met with us to talk about his favorite classes, the satisfaction he’s found in his lab research, and why he’s taking a gap year after graduation. 

 

What brought you to Psychology? 

Initially, I went to Central Michigan University as a business major, but I was not enjoying what I was learning. I took my first Psychology class and found my fit. In that class, the professor encouraged us to take the Myers-Briggs test to see what careers align well with our personalities.  At the top of my list was psychology, which made sense at the time because it was my favorite course that I was enrolled in. This is what led me to change my major and transfer to MSU. 

Another reason why I was drawn to psychology was that my uncle had a life-changing accident that crushed his hand to the point that he couldn’t use it anymore. He wanted to talk to a psychologist to work through the trauma, but it was hard for him to find a black male psychologist. Hearing about his experience drew me closer to Psychology because I wanted to increase the representation of African Americans in the field. I want to help others who look like me. 

 

You are on the Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee here at MSU. Can you talk about your work?  

I work with Dr. Ignacio Acevedo, undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty in the Psychology Department to help increase diversity in the social sciences field. Diversity is important to me because growing up, I was the only African American in many of my classes; I know what it's like to feel like you're the only person going through certain problems or situations in life. Our goal is to educate people on things that they’ve never worried about because it may not pertain to them. It is great to be working toward a common goal as a committee. 

  

Have any classes or professors had an impact on you? 

Dr. Joseph Cesario teaches a Stereotypes, Prejudice, & Discrimination class which was one of my favorite classes. I liked that the class addressed what we’re learning and experiencing in real life. It wasn’t just about race discrimination—it also looked at the discrimination that happens because of gender and class, as well. 

Abnormal psychology and Personality Psychology were fun classes, too. I also took a Political Cartoon class that I really liked. I've been trying to teach myself how to draw over the last couple of years because one of my dreams is to author and illustrate my own book one day. I like writing stories and drawing cartoons to go with them. 

 

Have you had any lab experience as an undergrad?  

I’ve been working with Dr. Acevedo for two months. We're working on different community projects to see if their programming is working or not. I'm currently working with Flint Community Education Initiative and we're seeing how they use programming to help community schools run better and increase diversity.  

It has surprised me how satisfying Community Psychology is.  It doesn't feel like I'm just another cog in a business— it feels like the work I'm doing is impacting the lives of others.  I’ve enjoyed taking research and applying it to a real situation and seeing what you can do to help make a change. It’s rewarding to see the impact of your work. 

 

As a soon-to-be graduate, what's next for you?  

As an undergrad, I jumped right into being a business major even though that wasn’t a good fit for me. I am reluctant to make the same mistake twice. I know that I want to continue my education, however, I plan to take a gap year to gain more research experience and build my CV. I want a better understanding of what I want to study for my PhD. I'm leaning toward Clinical Psychology or Community Psychology. The gap year will give me more time to think about what the best fit for me would be. 

  

Do you have any tips for undergrads?  

Never procrastinate on an assignment. Create a plan for completing your assignments. Give yourself time to brainstorm, outline. Conduct research and put together a quality final product. This practice has helped me a lot and I hope it can help others, too.