Psych Friends Peer Mentors
Psych Friends Peer Mentors
Psych Friends Peer Mentoring aims to increase the academic success & well-being of psychology students by connecting upper division psychology majors (mentors) with students newer to the major (mentees). Psych Friends is a great way to expand your knowledge on all that the field of psychology has to offer and to build a social network with others within the psychology community.
SIGN UP FOR A PEER MENTORING SESSION
Make an appointment with a peer mentor to learn about the psychology and behavioral neuroscience major requirements, careers and education paths in psychology, the graduate school application process, strategies to increase academic success, and/ or student self-care techniques.
Our mentors would love to get to know you. We have plenty of time slots available to best fit your needs. Appointments can be made through Navigate and students can choose between having an appointment in person on campus, or to meet online via Zoom.
To sign up for an appointment, click on the following link https://www.gvsu.edu/navigate/. Select “Schedule an appointment,” then select “Mentorship Programs and Support” and “Psych Friends Peer Mentorship Program.”
EARN COURSE CREDIT BY SERVING AS A PEER MENTOR
PSY 493 and PSY 494 is a two-semester practicum experience that allows junior and senior psychology and behavioral neuroscience majors to offer their leadership skills and knowledge about the major to students newer to the major. Students learn key principles and processes related to mentorship and apply this knowledge through peer mentoring.
Mentors
Joe Bombassei
Joe is a senior student, studying Psychology and Writing. With career goals of teaching post-secondary as a professor of Psychology that stems from his passion of helping others and advancing collective knowledge. Joe enjoys all kinds of hobbies: from hiking, gardening, creative writing, reading, rock climbing, and cooking to name a few. Outside of Psych Friends, Joe also spends time working as a Research Consultant in the Knowledge Market in the library, works as a pet stylist of 4yrs at a local business in South GR, and can often be found climbing at the GV climbing wall as a part of the Vertical Earth club. He is excited to get to know new people and share experiences and use the Psych Friends Program to start applying what he has learned to help other people reach their goals and foster a sense of community.
Mark Crossen
Mark is a senior who majors in psychology and minors in philosophy at Grand Valley State University. He spends the majority of his time reading philosophy books, playing chess, and learning whatever he can. He discovered his passion for learning through his wrestling career. Mark wants to be a clinical psychologist in the future and has enjoyed every step on the path to becoming one so far!
Sam Fisher
Sam is a senior who is majoring in Psychology, Sociology, and Dance at GV. Sam plans on attaining a PhD graduate program to pursue autism research. As a neurodivergent person, I understand the importance of advancing neurodiversity-affirming research, advocacy, and education. I am heavily involved in autism research and advocacy and am very passionate about building an uplifting community for neurodiverse people at Grand Valley.
Madelyn Howe
Madelyn is a junior here at GVSU and is studying psychology with a minor in business! After undergrad, she plans to attend graduate school to pursue counseling psychology. For fun, she likes to hang out with friends and family, shop, go see sunsets, and listen to music. Madelyn is also a board member of Psi Chi and a part of the Seidman mentorship program. Madelyn is super excited to be a part of the Psych Friends community and share her passion for psychology!
Jaime Lara
Jaime is a senior majoring in psychology ag Grand Valley State University. After graduation, he hopes to work with at risk juveniles/adults by pursuing a career in behavior analysis. He hopes to earn a master’s to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), but start as a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCABA). When not at school, Jaime likes to watch and play sports, listen to music, hangout with his cats, take care of his plants and go out with friends.
Lainey Otten
Lainey is a senior at GV, majoring in Psychology with minors in Writing and Philosophy. Her career goals include becoming a therapist/counselor, publishing a book and working with young adults and women. When she isn’t studying you can find her with the GV Boxing club, FaceTiming her little sisters, writing for her Substack or indulging in her new hobby of the month. She’s super excited to meet fellow Psych students and help them make the most out of their GV experience.
Akash Ranabothu
Akash is currently a senior at Grand Valley, majoring in psychology. His career goal is to attend PA school to become a physician assistant. He is involved in the Alzheimer's Awareness Club at Grand Valley. His favorite hobbies include playing tennis, video games, and hanging out with friends. An interesting fact about him is that he has never broken a bone and has been on two cruises: one to Alaska and one to Mexico. Akash is excited to be a part of Psych Friends this year and looks forward to meeting new people in the psychology community.
Natasha Vaughn
Natasha is a senior at GVSU and a Behavioral Neuroscience major. She hopes to go to graduate school for a PhD in neuroscience and to become a researcher and professor. Her possible research interest includes mental illness, type 1 autism, or neurobiology of pregnancy. Throughout her life she has struggled with mental health issues and hopes to help others with research and advocacy. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her roommate and dog or playing the sims.
Megan Wood
Megan Wood is a senior here at GVSU, majoring in psychology with a minor in juvenile justice. She is looking to pursue a graduate program in Social Work or Counseling to work with children and teens as a therapist in the future. She is very interested in mental health and making sure that younger individuals are provided with the appropriate resources and support. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, cooking, coloring and yapping with friends. She is excited to be joining Psych Friends and connecting other students with the resources that we offer!
Check out our video to learn more about our awesome team and why they became Psych Friends Peer Mentors in their own words here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flc1wY41Swg. Be sure to say hi when you see them around campus!
Check out our video on Note Taking Tips.
Here are some highlights from our Freud's Family Feud Event. Enjoy!
Check out this story in GV's Forum about Psych Friends' Freud's Family Feud: GV Forum Article
We would love to learn more about you. Please email us at [email protected] to share a little bit about yourself and what you hope to gain from this program!