| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Applicant Name | Arianna Jepsen |
| Applicant Email | Email hidden; Javascript is required. |
| Training Level | Graduate student |
| City of Residence | Mt Pleasant, MI |
| Distance to Chicago, IL | Driving distance |
| Age | 28 |
| Gender identity and pronouns | Female, she/her |
| Have you ever attended an AACN annual meeting? | Yes |
| The following list includes characteristics of historically underrepresented groups. Please select all characteristics that represent you and/or describe other diverse facets of your identity in the “Other” option. |
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| Funding Opportunitites | |
| I would like to be considered for the following funding opportunities. |
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| If selected for both Student Leader/Assistant and SPS Conference Mentor, I would prefer: | SPS Conference Mentor |
| Application for Student Assistant | |
| By applying to be a student assistant, you agree to the following responsibilities/commitments: |  I carefully reviewed the above responsibilities/commitments and agree with all of them. |
| Would you like to be considered for complimentary lodging? | Yes, please. |
| In-Person Volunteer Slots |
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| Application for Conference Leader | |
| Application for Scholarship | Travel scholarship awardees are provided with free conference registration and reimbursement of up to $550 of travel expenses to support conference attendance, including meals, hotel stay, and airfare. |
| Application for Conference Mentor Award | |
| In 500 words or fewer, please describe (1) your prior mentorship experience and what you feel you can offer mentees from historically underrepresented backgrounds at the AACN annual meeting, and (2) how this mentorship experience will contribute to your professional goals. You also may describe the ways in which attending the AACN Annual Meeting would represent a financial hardship for you without this award. | Breaking into a field without proper guidance, especially one that necessitates specific experiences and rigorous training, is incredibly daunting and overwhelming. At least, it was for me. Growing up in a rural town, my exposure to scientific careers was limited. Early in my undergraduate coursework, I took an introductory neuroscience course that turned into a neuroscience major. However, I did not learn about neuropsychology until my last semester while flipping through a book in the career center. I then spent the next couple of years researching the field while trying to gain relevant experience. I had mentors to help me with applying to graduate school in general, for which I am incredibly grateful, but I did not have any guidance concerning the field of clinical psychology specifically. Therefore, my personal experience has led me to be incredibly passionate about helping others gain entry into neuropsychology. My previous mentorship experience includes working as a residential advisor (RA), researcher and instructor. I was an RA in my second and third years of my undergraduate degree. As an RA, I helped first years adjust to a new environment, connected my residents with resources on campus, and assisted in settling roommate disputes. Additionally, in the summer between my second and third years, I was an RA for a summer program at my institution that aimed to guide a group of 12 incoming first years from diverse backgrounds who were interested in STEM research. Here I led activities, gave tours of the campus, and answered questions about course registration and research labs. After graduating, I worked as a lab manager in a graduate neurobiology lab where I was responsible for teaching and coordinating the duties of the undergraduate research assistants. Since joining a clinical psychology program, I have assisted the undergraduates in my lab with gaining relevant experiences, conducting statistical analyses and literature reviews, researching graduate programs, and editing honor thesis documents, CVs, and graduate applications. Additionally, as a graduate instructor, I encouraged my students to come to me with any questions on careers in addition to course material and incorporated guest lectures from other disciplines of psychology to introduce my students to other possible fields that they indicated they were interested in learning more about. Given my personal background and previous experiences, I believe I would be able to answer questions and help guide undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in becoming neuropsychologists. Besides personal fulfillment, the SPS/N2N Conference Mentor Award would allow me to gain direct experience as someone’s mentor in neuropsychology, which would benefit my future goals of having my own lab where I can mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Furthermore, my program is only able to provide its students with half-time funding. Despite working outside of my graduate program, conference registration and travel fees are a significant financial burden. Therefore, I greatly appreciate being considered for this award, as it will allow me to assist other future neuropsychologists, gain relevant experience and alleviate financial stress. |
| Tiebreaker | 2 |
