Psi Chi Spotlight with President Hannah Hurd
September 2, 2025 - Shelly DeJong
Hannah Hurd, a senior studying Psychology and Neuroscience, is the new president of Psi Chi at Michigan State University, the International Honor Society in Psychology that focuses on scholarship and advancing the field of psychology. Recently, Hannah shared about her new role as Psi Chi president, what attendees can expect out of getting involved this year, and her advice for incoming first year students.
What do you love about psychology?
Human behavior has always made me curious from a young age. Forming my education around psychology allowed me to become even more involved with humans, both understanding why we act the way we do and how we can transform those behaviors. As a people person with a strong desire to help others, I’m especially drawn to exploring mental health, understanding the roots of psychological disturbances, and finding meaningful ways to support individuals on their path to healing and recovery, especially survivors.
How long have you been in Psi Chi? Why did you want to be the Psi Chi President this year?
I have been with Psi Chi for two years. Going into the election, I was motivated to enhance our organization and provide opportunities that had been on my mind as an inducted member and give back to the psychology community, especially more career prep resources and social events, but still have fun. As someone who is academically driven and has a brain full of ideas, I really felt like being elected as the Psi Chi president would be a perfect opportunity for me to give my passion to a student org that emphasizes students who are driven to excel in psychology.
What are your goals as the Psi Chi President?
Some of my goals are to provide members with more psych-related tools and resources for career development such as through specific events like a resume workshop or scholarship information session. I also want to continue to grow our organization by coordinating with other student orgs and the Psychology Department, especially for fundraising opportunities. Finally, I hope we can organize more social events that foster meaningful peer-to-peer connections, promote collaboration, and strengthen our community of scholars.
Who would be a good fit in Psi Chi? What can they expect this year?
Anyone can be involved in Psi Chi as long as you have a passion for psychology! However, we are best fit for academically driven undergraduates that are studying psychology, as well as anyone interested in becoming an inducted member of Psi Chi (requirements include being enrolled at the institution with a declared major or minor in psychology or a closely related field, have completed at least 3 semesters or 36 semester hours including 9 in psychology, hold a 3.0 GPA in psychology courses, and rank in the top 35% of their class with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0).
Members can expect helpful faculty lectures, tools and resource workshops for psych-related careers, service and fundraising events, and social events (especially our fall hayride!).
Are you involved in anything else at MSU like research or other clubs? If so, tell us about it!
I am currently working as an Undergraduate Learning Assistant for the 171 Biology Lab on campus as well as with Peer Outreach and Education. I am also a volunteer at Survivor Advocacy and Crisis Intervention. I am involved with the Honors Students Actively Recruiting as well as the Honors College Mental Health Collaborative Member. And I frequently attend the Psychology Club and Neuroscience Club!
Any advice for new psych students?
Go out and get involved. Many people are friendly on campus, and establishing those relationships now is great. Try out a club you're interested in, go to a university sponsored event, ask a professor about research, get involved in a mentoring program—just be curious and opportunities will come to you if you seek them out. Looking on different university websites is also great. I really recommend the MSU undergraduate research page as well as the MSU scholarship page. Do the digging that other people might not want to. You'll set yourself up for success.