Best Psychology Degrees named its first psychology scholarship winner in 2015: Hillary “Gemma” Stern, a Tufts University senior who left computer science for psychological research. This profile revisits her research work, campus leadership, and path toward a doctorate. Best Psychology Degrees no longer appears to offer this scholarship, but other psychology scholarship options remain available.
The committee chose Gemma for her research rigor and her record of campus service. She was a rising senior at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, when she received the $1,500 award.
Gemma earned a 3.92 cumulative GPA while completing her BS in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. She made the Dean’s List every semester, and her enthusiasm for applying psychology to her community stood out to the review committee.
Gemma started college in computer science, but a single introductory psychology lecture changed her direction. A professor’s explanation of the suspension bridge misattribution-of-arousal study hooked her on the science of human behavior, and she switched majors and left coding behind. The decision earned her the department’s Class of 1921 Leonard Carmichael Award and a spot in the Psi Chi Honor Society. Gemma planned to pursue a PhD or PsyD in psychology after graduation.
Participating in Cutting-Edge Research
Starting in her sophomore year, Gemma looked for ways to get involved in research and build her skills in experimental design. She joined the Spatial Cognition Lab at Tufts under Dr. Holly Taylor, where she administered more than 100 tests to help validate map-analyzing software. Her background in coding helped her use SPSS, MATLAB, and other statistical programs across multiple research projects.
The following summer, Gemma worked as a research assistant at the Gilbert Social Psychology Lab at Harvard University. She conducted independent literature searches during an intensive 10-week course in behavioral psychology, designed original experiments to test signal detection theory, and developed software to measure advice-giving. Her mentor, David Levari, wrote in his recommendation that he’d take fifty more researchers like her without hesitation.
And Helping Those in Need
Outside the lab, Gemma built a track record of campus and community service. She served as co-president of the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS), coordinating more than 35 programs and about 1,200 undergraduate volunteers. She worked as a pre-orientation leader, guiding ten incoming first-year students through a week-long community service trip, and interned at Gilda’s Club, where she shadowed oncology social workers supporting people with cancer. A grant from the Forest Foundation let her spend a summer at The Home for Little Wanderers, a residential facility for children who have experienced abuse and neglect.
The committee named Gemma its first scholarship winner for that combination of research rigor and service, and for her plan to pursue a PhD or PsyD after graduation. She received the $1,500 award. Congratulations, Gemma.
Best Psychology Degrees no longer appears to offer this scholarship, but psychology students looking for funding today still have options. Our guide to finding psychology scholarships covers current sources such as the APA, Psi Chi, and university-specific funding.
Curious where a psychology degree could take you? Explore accredited programs below.