Student Spotlights

2023 MAPR Scholarship

Olivia Teasdale

Regan Christian

2022 MAPR Scholarship

Linda Garza

Michael Price

Kat Vrotsos

2022 Graduate College Merit Fellowship

Taylor Himes

Kendria Shields-Rhodes

2021-2022 P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education Scholarship

Kaitlin Grelle

2021-2022 Psi Chi Graduate Scholarship

Neha Shrestha

2021 Graduate College Merit Fellowship

Katherine Vrotsos

2021 MAPR Scholarship

Neha Shrestha

Steven Mesquiti

2021 Graduate College Fellowship

Neha Shrestha

2020 Outstanding Liberal Arts Graduate Student Award

Dalton Klare

2019 Graduate Endowed Fellowship in Liberal Arts

2019 Cohort: Kennedy Anderson

2019 Competitive Scholarship

2019 Cohort: Macy Myers, Cara Petrofes

2019 MAPR Scholarship

2019 Cohort: Kennedy Anderson

2018 Cohort: Alyssa Kopecki

2019 Graduate College Fellowship

2019 Cohort: Ashley Myers

2019 Graduate College Celebrity Classic Scholarship

2018 Cohort: Ashley Frost

2019 Graduate College Scholarship Recipients

2018 Cohort: Whitney Finch, Ashley Frost, Alyssa Kopecki, Anna Madden-Rusnak

2019 Texas State University System Foundation Scholarship

Ashley Frost, 2018 Cohort, was awarded a Texas State University System Foundation Scholarship for the Spring 2019 semester.

2018 Graduate College Scholarship Recipients

2nd year: Niki Hayatbini, Anthony Robinson, Morgan Snyder, Callie De La Cerda, Shelby Lipschuetz, Aaron Bonnette

1st year: Alyssa Kopecki and Mark Stern

2018 Graduate College Fellowship Recipients

Alyssa Kopecki and Mark Stern

Alyssa Kopecki graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in psychology and criminology from Texas A&M University-San Antonio and was unconditionally accepted to the MA in Psychological Research program for Fall 2018.

Mark Stern graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in psychology from Texas State University and was unconditionally accepted to the MA in Psychological Research program for Fall 2018.

2018 MAPR Scholarship Recipients

2nd year: Niki Hayatbini and Shelby Lipschuetz

1st year: Kyle Kilchrist, Anna Madden, and Courtney Wilson

2017 MAPR Scholarship Recipients

2nd year: Marieke Visser

1st year: Niki Hayatbini

2016 MAPR Scholarship Recipients

2nd Year Student - Chasley Jones

1st Year Students - Eileen Marin Cordivin, Trisha Flournoy, Angela Johnson, Linda-Brook Thompson

2016 Graduate College Scholarship Recipients

2nd Year Student - Amanda Jones, Chasley Jones, Elia Bueno, Katelyn Stephenson, Samantha White

1st Year Students - Angela Johnson, Fatemeh Fereidooni, Linda-Brooke Thompson, Miguel Capote, Trisha Flournoy

2016 Merit Fellowship

Maxwell Helfrich

2015-2016 Graduate Fellowships

Katelyn Stephenson & Samantha White

2015 MAPR Scholarship Recipients

1st year: Katelyn Stephenson

2nd year: Frank DePalma, Morgan Kelly, Stephen Ramos, Bryant Reininger, Candice Stanfield

2015 Graduate College Scholarship Recipients

Morgan Kelly, Katelyn Stephenson, Brittany Hill, Bryant Reininger, Francesco DePalma, Candice Stanfield, Elia Bueno, Stephen Ramos

2014 Graduate College Scholarship Recipients

Javier Arteta Garcia, Michael Bell, Angelica Carballo, Briana Cobos, Natalie DeLeon, Haley Harris, Velia Hernandez, Adrienne Koller, Matthew Light, Rachel Price, Christopher Prickett, Shannon Wilder 

 2021

Paper Publications:

Merab Gomez, Dalton Klare, and Sierra Kaiser, 2020 Cohort, along with Psychology faculty Krista Howard and Natalie Ceballos published “Do you dare to compare? The key characteristics of social media users who frequently make online upward social comparisons” in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.

Stephen Ramos, 2016 Cohort, published the article “COVID-19’s impact felt by researchers” for the American Psychological Association’s Science Student Council.

Dalton Klare, Alyse Finch, and Aleyda Arreola, 2020 Cohort, along with Texas State faculty Dr. Krista Howard and Dr. Stephanie Dailey published the article “Examining how sexual identity, psychosocial factors, and organizational differences relate to intent-to-quit in a large-scale cross-sectional study” in the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies.

Sierra Kaiser, Dalton Klare, and Merab Gomez, 2020 Cohort, along with Texas State faculty Dr. Krista Howard and Dr. Natalie Ceballos published the article “A comparison of social media behaviors between sexual minorities and heterosexual individuals” in the Science Direct Computers in Human Behavior Volume 116.

3M Finalists

Natalie Tucker (’22) and Derek Mangino-Sirvent (’22) were selected as finalists for the 8th Annual Texas State Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) on November 4, 2021. Natalie Tucker won Runner-Up in the University-wide competition.

Southwestern Psychological Association Graduate Student Representative

Neha Shresthra (’22) was elected to serve as the graduate student representative to the Southwestern Psychological Association’s Board of Directors in 2021.

Honorable Mentions

Michael Price (’23) won Honorable Mention in the Masters category at the International Research Conference for Graduate Students for his poster: Changes in dream intensity and nightmare frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic are influenced by personality.

2020

Paper Publications: Dalton Klare

Dalton Klare, published "Prescription drug misuse: Taking a lifespan perspective." in the journal Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment  with Dr. Schepis, Jason Ford, and Sean Esteban McCabe

Dalton Klare, published "The dynamic relationship between daily caffeine intake and sleep duration in middle-aged and older adults." in the Journal of Sleep Research with Dr. Hu and MAPR alumn Katelyn Stephenson.

Dalton Klare, published "Predicting college student prescription stimulant misuse: An analysis from ecological momentary assessment." in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology with Dr. Schepis, external collaborators Buckner and Wade, and MAPR alum Natalie Benedetto.

3MT People's Choice Winner

Alyse Finch, 2018 Cohort, was the People's Choice winner at the Three Minute Thesis competition for her presentation "Music and Memory: Implications for Alzheimer's and Dementia."

Paper Publication: Rachel Farley

Rachel Farley, 2017 Cohort, is a co-author on "Meta-analysis of behavioral activation for posttraumatic stress disorder" to be published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy with Dr. Etherton.

Authority Magazine Interview

Merab Gomez (’20) was interviewed by Authority Magazine, along with Dr. Stephanie Dailey, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, for their research on technology and screen use in Spring 2020.

2019
Best Graduate Poster Presentation at ARMADILLO

Congratulations to Anna Madden-Rusnak, 2018 Cohort, for winning "Best Graduate Poster Presentation" at the ARMADILLO Conference at Texas A&M University- San Antonio on October 4-5. Anna presented her poster "Sleep-Dependent Increases in Perceived Similarity Facilitate Analogical Problem Solving."

Top Masters Paper Award

Mark Stern (’20) won the Top Masters Paper Award for his project “An Investigation of Cognitive Decline in Patients with Hypothyroidism” at the International Research Conference for Graduate Students in 2019.

Outstanding Master's Student

Dalton Klare (’20) was selected as the Outstanding Master’s Student in the College of Liberal Arts for 2019-2020.

Paper Publication: Stephen Ramos

Stephen Ramos, 2014 cohort, published "A Qualitative Approach to Understanding HIV-Related Stress in Texas" in the August 2019 edition of Texas Medicine with Dr. Schepis, Dr. Haskard-Zolnierek and Dr. Roundtree (Dept. of English).

Paper Publication: Dalton Klare

Dalton Klare, 2018 cohort, published "Health beliefs, behaviors, and symptoms associated with orthorexia nervosa" in the June 2019 edition of Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia, and Obesity with Dr. Oberle.

Paper Publication: Niki Hayatbini

Niki Hayatbini, 2017 cohort, published "Are orthorexia nervosa symptoms associated with cognitive inflexibility?" in Psychiatry Research in January 2019 with Dr. Oberle.

Paper Publication: Anna Madden-Rusnak

Anna Madden-Rusnak, 2018 cohort, was a co-author on the article "High-normal adolescent fasting plasma glucose is associated with poorer midlife brain health: Bogalusa Heart Study" in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in May 2019

Paper Publication: Aaron Bonnette & Anthony Robinson

Aaron Bonnette & Anthony Robinson, 2017 cohort, published "Social comparison, social media addiction, and social interaction: An examination of specific social media behaviors related to major depressive disorder in a millennial population" in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research in July 2018 with Dr. Krista Howard & Dr. Natalie Ceballos.

2018

Best Master's Student Paper at International Research Conference

“Weight Stigma During Medical Visits is Negatively Associated with Provider-Patient Relationship Factors,” written by Morgan Snyder, 2017 cohort, was recognized as the top paper in the “Master’s Paper” category at The Tenth International Research Conference for Graduate Students at Texas State University. 

Conference Presentation

Rachel Farley, Morgan Snyder, Callie De La Cerda, and Anthony Robinson, all 2017 cohorts, presented their research in a panel at the 10th Annual International Research Conference on November 14, 2018.

Outstanding Master's Student in the College of Liberal Arts

MAPR student Marieke Visser was selected as the Outstanding Master's Student in the College of Liberal Arts for the 2017-2018 school year. 

Conference Presentation: Shelby Lipschuetz

Shelby Lipschuetz, 2017 cohort, presented a talk at the SWPA (Southwestern Psychological Association) conference in Houston in Spring 2018 - "Orthorexia Symptomatology in Relation to Personality and Relationship Satisfaction."

Paper Publications: Shelby Lipschuetz

Shelby Lipschuetz, 2017 cohort, had her paper "Orthorexia Symptoms Correlate with Perceived Muscularity and Body Fat, Not BMI" published in the studies on Anorexia, Bulimia, and Obesity section of the Journal of Eating and Weight Disorders.

Shelby's paper "Agency and Relationship Dissatisfaction Associated with Orthorexia Symptomatology" was published in the Open Journal of Psychiatry.

Paper Publication: Amanda Jones-Rincon

Amanda Jones-Rincon, 2015 cohort, published “Anxiety in the workplace: A comprehensive occupational health evaluation of anxiety disorder in public school teachers” in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research in June 2018 with Dr. Krista Howard.

Paper Publication: Morgan Kelly and Stephen Ramos

Morgan Kelly and Stephen Ramos, 2014 cohort, published "Substance Use in Healthcare Workers: Importance of Stress Perception, Smoking Temptation, Social Support, and Humor" in Substance Use & Misuse in 2018 with Dr. Schepis.

Paper Publication: Katelyn Stephenson and Chasley Jones

Katelyn Stephenson and Chasley Jones, both 2015 cohort, published “Bayesian analysis of multimethod ego-depletion studies favours the null hypothesis” in the British Journal of Social Psychology in 2018 with Dr. Etherton, Dr. Osborne, and Dr. De Nadai.

Paper Publication: Marieke Visser

Marieke Visser published “The Influence of Major Depressive Disorder at both the Preoperative and Postoperative Evaluations for Total Knee Arthroplasty Outcome” in Pain Medicine in 2018 with Dr. Howard.

2017

Paper Publication: Ricardo Castaneda and Avia Gray

Ricardo Castaneda, 2013 cohort, and Avia Gray, 2014 cohort, published “Psychosocial factors related to functional restoration treatment completion and return-to-function for patients with chronic disabling occupational musculoskeletal disorders” in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2017 with Dr. Howard and Dr. Haskard-Zolnierek.

Paper Publication: Angela Johnson, Sinjin Roming, Rachel Price and Briana Cobos

Angela Johnson & Sinjin Roming, 2016 cohort, and Rachel Price & Briana Cobos, 2013 cohort, published “Somatization Disorder and stress in teachers: A comprehensive occupational health evaluation" in Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research in 2017 with Dr. Howard and Dr. Haskard-Zolnierek.

2016

Paper Publication: Javier Arteta and Briana Cobos

Javier Arteta and Briana Cobos, both 2013 cohort published “Evaluation of How Depression and Anxiety Mediate the Relationship Between Pain Catastrophizing and Prescription Opioid Misuse in a Chronic Pain Population” in Pain Medicine in 2016 with Dr. Hu and Dr. Howard.

Paper Publications: Brittany Hill

Brittany Hill, 2014 cohort, published “Interpersonal Blame and Perceptions of Choice” in Psychological Studies in 2016 with Dr. Ogletree and Dr. Archer.

Brittany Hill, 2014 cohort, published “Body Modifications in College Students: Considering gender, self-esteem, body appreciation, and reasons for tattoos” in College Student Journal in summer 2016 with Dr. Ogletree.

Paper Publication: Chasley Jones

Chasley Jones, 2015 cohort, published “Predicting safe sex practices from gender-related interpersonal variables” in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine in 2016 with Dr. Oberle.

2015

Paper Publication: Candice Stanfield

Candice Stanfield, 2014 cohort, published “Inexplicable Sex Difference in Homonegativity: A Proposed New Paradigm of Implicit Cognitive Systems” in Journal of Social Sciences Research in 2015 with Dr. Ginsburg and Dr. Ogletree.

Paper Publication: Briana Cobos

Briana Cobos, 2013 cohort, published “White coat hypertension: improving the patient-health care practitioner relationship” in Psychology Research and Behavior Management in 2015 with Dr. Haskard-Zolnierek and Dr. Howard.

2014

Award: Best Poster

Javier Arteta and his mentor, Dr. Krista Howard, were awarded “Best Poster” at the Fall 2014 International Organization of Social Sciences and Behavioral Research conference. Their study is titled: "Evaluation of how Depression and Anxiety Mediate the Relationship between Pain Catastrophizing and Opioid Misuse in a Chronic Pain Population."  Javier completed the internship at RestoreFX last summer and utilized their patient data for this project.  His paper has been submitted for publication to Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Award: Best Paper

Candice Stanfield co-presented "The Inexplicable Sex Differences in Homeonegativity: A Proposed New Paradigm of Implicit Cognitive Systems" at International Organization of Social Science and Behavioral Research on November 3, 2014 in San Antonio, TX and was awarded "Best Paper."