Alumni News
2005 Updates

2/05 Kate Fichthorn ('04) writes that she has been "working as an Academic Coordinator for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions for the past 6 months. A large part of my job is recruiting tutors and matching them with high school students who are preparing to take their SATs." Kate lives near Jen Gross ('04), so they see each other frequently.

2/05 Jamie Belli ('02) has just accepted a position as a financial manager at Mellon Financial in Everett, MA.

2/05 Kristen Lommele ('04) writes that she has just accepted a position with Information Resources (IRI) as a project manager.

Living the Liberal Arts: Life During and After Majoring in Psychology

From left to right: Coordinator Gove Effinger (Math & CS)
Lisa Korenman '97: Neuropsychologist/Research Director, InterActive Therapy Group
Rachel Mann '94: Supervising Clinical Psychologist, Saratoga Association for Retarded Citizens
Damion Grasso '00: Research Associate, Yale University Psychiatry Department
Adam Arsenault '04: Counselor, SuperKids/Mid-Fairfield Child Guidance Center
Ariel Brown '01: Graduate Student in Behavioral Neuroscience, Boston University

On 2/22/05, five psychology alums returned to campus to tell current students about their experiences while at Skidmore and after leaving Skidmore. The panel was sponsored by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, with Gove Effinger coordinating similar panels for four other departments.

3/05 Colin Northup ('03) writes that he has "worked in wine for over a year (after getting a start from Purdy's in Saratoga Springs).  However, after finding this line of work unfulfilling, I am applying to an Expressive therapies grad program at Lesley University.  The program preps students for Mental Health Counseling Licensure in Massachusetts and 30 other states.  Moreover, it also prepares students for certification by the AMTA (American Music Therapy Association)  The expressive therapies component emphasizes the arts as a method of healing.  While students must familiarize themselves with five modes of expressive therapy; art, dance, drama, poetry, and music, I plan on concentrating in music.  Lesley has the largest and one of the first programs in the country within this domain.  Moreover, I live just down the street from the school in Cambridge, MA." Best wishes for success with your plans Colin!

3/05 Jonathan Gilmour ('00) has been working as a zoo keeper in Boston (http://www.skidmore.edu/scope/fall2003/features/zoo.html). He's currently looking to further his education at a program in Edinburgh Scotland. He writes, "This particular program concentrates on the latest theories and practices encompassing animal behavior and welfare.  Studying this field would not only be greatly exciting for me, but would also fit perfectly with my plans to expand my job title at the zoo.  I would ultimately like to travel around with our outreach program (critters included), teaching children and adults about the exotic world of animals."

4/05 Ben Tabak ('03) writes that he "will be attending the Adult Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Miami this Fall. I just found out this past Friday that I got in, and I am super excited! My Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellowship here at NICHD will be ending in a few months, at which point I will be taking a vacation to Central America and then relocating to Miami for the next 5 years."

4/05 Margaret Gavian ('98) writes, "I've just made my decision...to go to the University of Minnesota for a PhD in Counseling Psych.  I'll be working with Dr. Pat Frazier and will focus on Posttraumatic Growth.  Minneapolis will be great since I'll have access to its diverse refugee population. I swore after I left Skidmore I would never live somewhere that cold again, but I must have acquired some form of amnesia since now I will be spending five years in the bitter cold."

4/05 Jamie Arndt ('83), who is now on the faculty at the University of Missouri, won the Provost's Outstanding Junior Faculty Teaching Award. [http://psychology.missouri.edu/people/ja.htm]

4/05 Kamila O'Neill ('98) is a graduate student at the University of Missouri. She writes, "Life is pretty good here in Missouri (but very busy). I'm in my fourth year of graduate school in clinical psychology and am finishing my comprehensive exams. I study eating disorders (specifically the etiology of bulimia nervosa) and recently completed a serious of studies on the effects of viewing pro-anorexia web sites. I hope to propose my dissertation this fall. In other news, I will be getting married this June, here in Missouri, and am looking forward to the big day."

4/05 Eric Prensky ('97) writes "I wanted to let you know that I am finishing up my internship at the VA and I have accepted a post-doc fellowship position at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. This is a clinical health psychology position. Also, I will (finally) be receiving my doctorate in August 2005!"

4/05 Liz Mobayed ('04) stopped by for a visit with her new husband (Andrew). Liz continues to do quite well in England, though she and Andrew may one day choose to live in the USA. (No surprise, but Andrew is a really nice guy!)

5/05 Kristin Quirin ('02) continues to live and work in Saratoga Springs. If you watch Wheel of Fortune routinely, you may have recognized Kristin on that show last year.

5/05 Meaghan Geary ('03) has completed her MA at Brandeis. She will be working as a project coordinator in charge of a study on trauma and injury in children at Boston Medical Center.

5/05 Eileen Klein ('02) has been advanced to candidacy at UC Santa Barbara, where she is working on her dissertation on training paraprofessionals in social interventions for children with autism.

6/05 Stephanie Dennington ('04) writes that she's completed her studies at Lesley and will begin teaching first grade in Northborough, MA in the fall.

7/05 Kate Fichthorn ('04) will soon begin working as a Research Data Coordinator at The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI), which is associated with UMass-Boston. ICI "conducts research related to the quality of life for disabled children and adults. They have even done research related to speech and hearing disabilities, which of course is one of my primary interests."

7/05 Kim Davidson ('04) plans to get married to David Young on July 8, 2006. She writes: "I have just finished my first step toward certification as a School Psychologist! I graduate September 1 with a MS in Applied Educational Psychology and have already begun coursework toward a CAGS in School Psychology at Northeastern University. I absolutely love the program, faculty, and students here! This fall I start a part time internship at the Sprague Elementary School in Wellesley, MA. I was very excited to be offered an internship in such a prestigious district! The schools are well funded, progressive in their practices, and produce students who perform exceedingly well on standardized achievement tests. It should be a great experience during which I'll surely learn to implement best practice!

A separate but related note... NASP (the National Association of School Psychologists), of which I have become a member, has developed a Power Point presentation to inform the public about what School Psychology is and what it is professionals in this field do. NASP encourages its use by members of the association. It seems to be perfect for presentation to undergrads who may be interested in/ are thinking of pursuing a career in School Psych."

7/05 Scott Hayes ('98) continues to keep us up-to-date on research positions available in the neuropsych area. We're delighted that he's returning to the Northeast with a year-long neuropsych internship at the Jamaica Plains VA in the Boston, MA area. Scott has recently become engaged to Jasmeet Pannu. Congratulations Scott!

7/05 Marta Krajniak ('04) writes that she remains in touch with Eric Lewy and Miriam Lipstein (in NYC). She is working as an Early Intervention Servie Coordinator for TLC (Teaching and Learning Center) in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

8/05 Michael Schreiber ('97) stopped by on his way to Montreal. He's recently married and still working in journalism.

9/05 Brooke Miller ('99) has successfully defended her doctoral dissertation at Northwestern and is about to begin a post doc at Scripps East.

9/05 Shana Pallotta ('97) is starting in a business program at UCLA.

9/05 Kristin Alphin ('04) writes "I have been working at Mass General since this summer, as a patient service coordinator for a vascular surgeon. I am learning quite a lot and really enjoy working at the hospital. So guess what, I have definitely decided I want to be a Nurse Practitioner and am applying this winter to a bunch of schools in Boston."

9/05 Chris Twombly ('05) is enjoying the weather in Atlanta as he pursues a degree at Argosy University. He's now in the process of memorizing the DSM.

10/05 Ria Jodrie ('05) writes "I am loving my job at the New England Center for Children and excited about my counseling psych classes." Ria is in the counseling program at Framingham State.

10/05 Krista Keeler ('05) writes that she "got a job at McLean Hospital as a Community Residence Counselor in the Women's Unit."

10/05 Maris Prichett ('02) was just back in Saratoga for a crew meet. After graduation, she worked for a while in the Boston Medical Center as a research assistant. Maris then moved to Two Brattle Center, where she is a milieu conselor in an adolescent intensive DBT day program. Maris has a number of responsibilities in her position, including working with the adolescents and their families on skill development, interfacing with the outpatient treatment team, etc. Based on her experiences, Maris is now applying to clinical programs.

10/05 Jen Gross ('04) writes, "I'm still at my 2nd job since moving out to Boston. I am the executive assistant to the psychiatrist-in-chief at Tufts-New England Medical Center (my first job, as the residential counselor for 18-22 year olds with mental illness, unfortunately was more frustrating/draining than rewarding for me). I've been here since the end of January. I am less of a research assistant in my job than I thought I would be, but I am getting exposure to things like grant requests (on a small scale, from pharmaceutical companies) - I was put in charge of organizing our Psychiatry Grand Rounds series for this year. So, over the past several months I've been doing a lot of thinking and organizing to take the next step in my life. I have decided that I want to go to school to be a Nurse Practitioner in either Psych/Mental Health or Women's Health. As you both probably remember, women's issues are very important to me, and I obviously have pretty extensive background in Psych. The school I want to apply to is Mass General Hospital's Institute of Health Professions. One really appealing thing about their program is the Science Summer session they offer in the summer before you start."

10/05 Kate Fichthorn ('04) writes, "I have been working as a Research Data Coordinator for UMass Boston's Institute for Community Inclusion. I love it! We primarily research employment outcomes for persons with disabilities (where people are employed and how much they are earning). We also do research with children and education. Potentially, the information we gain will impact the way in which state and federal agencies provide employment and educational services to individuals with disabilities--the goal being a shift from segregated placements towards community integration."

12/05 Pritha Mani ('04) writes, "I have finished my Msc in Psychoanalytic Developmental Studies. During the summer I worked as a teacher in an NGO in India that dealt with educating and empowering young children and women. I taught children English during the weekdays and mentored high school dropouts on weekends. At the moment I am interning with the World Health Organization in Geneva in their department of Child and Adolescent Health. I am developing a brochure that advocates the importance of implementing early childhood programs in developing countries. This brochure will be passed on to other UN agencies." She's heading off to India where she has interviews with international schools, marketing executives, and tv companies.