| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Applicant Name | Ryley Skinner |
| Applicant Email | Email hidden; Javascript is required. |
| Training Level | Postdoctoral Resident |
| City of Residence | Wichita, Kansas |
| Distance to Chicago, IL | ≤ 2 hour flight |
| Age | 27 |
| Gender identity and pronouns | Woman; 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. | I am currently a second-year postdoctoral fellow in neuropsychology at an academic medical center who, as a woman with a young family, at times struggled to find mentors or guidance on how to navigate the long road through neuropsychology training while balancing pregnancies, family transitions, and work-life responsibilities. Additionally, I hail from a general Clinical Psychology PhD program, which required additional educational investment via external courses and reliance on external practica and research opportunities beyond those offered within my home program to acquire the breadth and depth of knowledge in neuropsychology that I needed to move forward in the field. I often felt a tug between my work goals and my personal values, and sometimes felt alone in that struggle. Now that I am nearly on the other side of my training journey, I know that I was not alone in that struggle and many other trainees and professionals have navigated through nontraditional paths and struggles with meeting both their professional and personal responsibilities, though I believe it is not often well-addressed or discussed enough in our field. Moving forward in my career as a professional, one of my primary goals is to be a resource and example for trainees regardless of whether they find themselves on a straightforward and well-outlined path or on a path that takes unexpected turns or runs into roadblocks during their training journey. As my own personal path through neuropsychology training often felt “nontraditional” and I often felt the pull between “work” responsibilities and “life” responsibilities, I feel passionate about helping others identify their goals and values, and discussing different avenues that meet their goals while honoring their personal values and needs. Beyond anything else, I hope to provide an open space for trainees to discuss their struggles and problem-solve ways to meet their goals holistically. Throughout my training, I have served as a research mentor to undergraduate students on senior thesis projects, regional and national poster presentations, and research publications. Additionally, I have served as a mentor and supervisor to psychometrists and graduate practicum students, as well as pre-doctoral interns participating in secondary rotations in pediatric and adult/geriatric neuropsychology. Across these levels of trainees, I have aided in preparing others for graduate school applications, internship applications, and postdoctoral applications both within and outside of the field of neuropsychology. I would love the opportunity to build upon these experiences and help other mentees learn more about neuropsychology and the various avenues one can take to effectively obtain training and experience in the field based on their personal needs and interests. |
| Tiebreaker | 1 |
