PSY Undergraduate Internship Spotlight: Maya Calloway

June 22, 2023 - Shelly DeJong

Name: Maya Calloway

Year: Incoming Junior 

Hometown: Dexter, MI 

Major: Psychology; minors in Women’s and Gender Studies and LGBTQ and Sexuality Studies 

Internship: University of Michigan Health- Pediatric Psychology division 

 

What drew you to psychology? 
I’ve always been interested in mental health, specifically mental disorders. After doing a little bit of research I realized how interested in mental health I was and wanted to pursue a career in it. 
 

Where are you interning and what do they do there? 
I’m interning at the University of Michigan, in the Pediatric Psychology division. I’m interning with the administration side of the Pediatric Psychology division. Administrators work hard to support their psychologist staff, ranging from doing data entry of their credit hours to trying to help them set up clinics. 
 

What kind of things are you doing at this internship? 
I’ve only been at my internship for a few weeks, so I’m still doing simple things like data entry and helping organize events and websites for the division. I’m also assigned to Didactic meetings every Friday. At these meetings, a psychologist presents their research to the division over Zoom. They’re super interesting! 
 

What do you like about your internship so far?  

I like learning about the administrative side of the division. While it’s not what I want for a career, I think it’s important to understand how things run behind the scenes. I also appreciate the opportunities I’m given, for example, I’ve been told I can shadow many different psychologists in the division if I ever have spare time. It’s the little things like this that I value the most. 
 

How has your psych background prepared you for this internship? 
I’ve only been at MSU for two years, so I still have much to learn about psychology, but the information that I do have has prepared me most for the Didactic meetings. I understand different terminology and theories that are presented at those meetings, which makes things a lot easier. 
 

Any advice for others looking for an internship? 
Try to make connections! I was able to get this internship because of a family friend who works in the division. Don’t be afraid to connect and ask if there are any internship opportunities. You’ll never know what’s out there if you don’t ask! 
 

What are your hopes for the future? 
I hope to continue my education and go to graduate school and eventually become a clinical or health psychologist.