Women’s Leadership Institute Student Spotlight with Elif Yazgan

February 7, 2025 - Shelly DeJong

Meet Elif Yazgan, a junior psychology major with minors in cognitive science and art history and visual culture. Elif is also a member of the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI), a program at Michigan State University that is designed to support and empower women students with leadership aspirations. 

 

Why are you a psychology major?  

I chose psychology because I’ve always been fascinated by understanding human behavior and the mind. What I love most about psychology is how diverse and layered the field is—it encompasses so many subfields and offers such a wide array of opportunities to explore. There’s always a new direction to grow in, whether it’s research or clinical practice. 

 

Why did you want to join WLI? 

I wanted to join the Women’s Leadership Institute to develop leadership skills and connect with other women who are passionate about and successful in what they do.  

 

Can you talk about your experience with the WLI so far? 

The WLI experience has been truly transformative. The workshops have significantly boosted my confidence, and I very much appreciated hearing the experiences of the women in our cohort. One of the highlights for me was participating in the kick-off event during the fall semester. 

 

Are you involved in anything else at MSU? 

Yes! I’m actively involved in the Social Cognition Lab and the MSU Autism Lab, and I recently started working in the LINC Lab. I’m also the event planner for the Turkish Students Association, where I organize events to celebrate and share Turkish culture with the MSU community. 

 

What are your goals for the future?                                                                  

My current goal is to get into a PhD program after graduation, as I’m deeply passionate about research at the moment. That said, I’m keeping an open mind about where life might take me career-wise, and I’m excited to see how my interests and opportunities evolve over time. 

 

Want to give a shoutout to anyone?

I want to give a shoutout to my friends who have been there for me since my freshman year. They’ve truly become my second family. 

 

The WLI’s mission is to ignite women leaders while their vision is to advance leadership equity for women globally. The program aims to create a sustainable community by providing high quality programming for MSU’s students, faculty, and community. To learn more about the institute, view application materials, and take advantage of their resources, visit their website.