2014-Lauren Berry

 

Major:  PSYCH

Thesis:  A Weighty Issue: Is Perfectionism in Female Athletes Associated with Disordered Eating?

300 Word Statement

When I reflect on what constitutes the “Lafayette Ideal”, I consider the value of the strong Lafayette community and how it relates to my own experiences. Lafayette’s devotion to developing an integrated community is why students, like me, are not only students, but also athletes, volunteers, musicians, actors, and more. As liberal arts students, we are encouraged to collaborate – between various teams, student organizations, and academic departments. This gives students the freedom to define their own college experience, which embodies one of the Marquis de Lafayette’s core beliefs: individual liberty.

Through my years at Lafayette and the various pathways my classmates and I have taken, I recognize that liberty can be utilized in many ways. What distinguishes one student out of our reputable student body as “ideal” is his or her choice to become an active and committed member in the community and to leave a “legacy of liberty” by encouraging others to seek a unique path of their own.

Lafayette has afforded me the liberty to explore my own ideas. This is perhaps best represented by my thesis, which encompasses my studies in Psychology and personal interest in disordered eating. I also seized the opportunity to engage in the community beyond academics. As a member of multiple committees and president of two honor societies, I work to improve students’ academic and social experiences at Lafayette. Most importantly, I shared my love for Lafayette with incoming students as an Orientation Leader, while keeping mindful that my experience demonstrates how I chose to lead my life at Lafayette and that every student has the liberty to create his or her own unique experience. Lafayette has taught me the importance of collaborating with others, meaningful community engagement, and to embrace my individual liberty to create a path of my own.

 Academic Activities/Awards – Total Years Involved

2013 Maroon-Club Scholar Athlete 1
An award annually presented by the Maroon Club at Lafayette College to one male and one female student-athlete who displays exemplary skills in the classroom and on the field of competition.

Dean’s List, Patriot League Honor Roll, and Athlete Department Gold-Level Honor Roll 4
Dean’s List denotes students who have received a 3.60 GPA or higher during a semester. Patriot League Honor Roll is awarded to varsity athletes in the Patriot League who have a GPA of at least 3.20 during their NCAA recognized season. The Athletic-Department Gold-Level Honor Roll is awarded to students who have achieved a GPA of 3.80 or higher.

Women’s All-Academic Patriot League Swimming Team 1
Awarded to senior swimmers in the Patriot League with the highest GPAs.

President of Psi Chi 1
Psi Chi is an international honor society for Psychology whose purpose is to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology. I have been a member since my sophomore year and now serve as the president.

President of Order of Omega 1
Order of Omega is a Greek honors society that strives to recognize students’ academic and leadership achievements.  The organization endeavors to bring together fraternity and sorority members in a representative group, which will help to assist the Greek community in matters of scholarship, service, and philanthropy. I have been a member of Order of Omega since my junior year and I am currently the president.

Psychology Lab Assistant (PLA) 1
As a PLA, I help a professor teach the Introductory to Psychology Lab by leading portions of the class, grading assignments, tutoring students, and hosting regular office hours.

Presenter, 2014 National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 1
Lafayette College endorses students’ applications for NCUR each year and provides funding to the research projects that they consider significant to enhancing existing knowledge in their field. The National Conference on Undergraduate Research is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. The conference allows students to share their ideas and independent research to thousands of other students and faculty members in either oral presentation or poster sessions. This April I will presented research from my thesis in at the University of Kentucky.

EXCEL Research Assistant/Independent Research Assistant 2
I conducted research with Professor Michael Nees in the Psychology Department on testing accommodations for visually impaired students. My sophomore year, as a volunteer research assistant, I worked with Professor Nees to design the study and the study materials and researching issues in testing accommodations. As an EXCEL researcher my junior year, I ran participants, assisted in compiling and analyzing the data, and co-wrote a journal article which was published in the Journal of Performance Health. Professor Nees also presented our research at the 2013 International Conference on Auditory Display in Poland. Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) Psychology Conference Presenter: / I also presented our research at the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) Psychology Conference in the spring of 2013.

Research Assistant for the Eating Disorder Research Program at the University of Sciences in Philadelphia 1
As a Research Assistant at the EDRP, I worked with Dr. Alix Timko on her research regarding the treatment and prevention of anorexia nervosa in adolescents, the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to treat adolescents and children with weight and food concerns (including pediatric obesity), the construct of “restrained eating” and how it is similar and different to self-identified current dieting in normal weight women, and the implicit assessment of attitudes towards the body, food, and weight behaviors.

Intern at The Renfrew Center of Philadelphia 1
At The Renfrew Center of Philadelphia – a residential treatment center for females with eating disorders – I collaborated with the Education Coordinator to design a summer curriculum to help the girls understand the drivers of their complex eating disorders in terms relevant and appropriate for their age. I independently lead several group sessions each week and assisted the girls with the school work they were missing while they were in treatment.

Senior Honor’s Thesis: Under the supervision of Professor John Shaw
I am completing my Honor’s Thesis in Psychology. This is an independent research project that I designed and carried out to determine whether athletes are more likely than non-athletes to develop disordered eating patterns. I am also examining how athletes and non-athletes differ on other psychological measures, such as perfectionism, self-esteem, and body image avoidance.

 

Campus Service/Activities and Awards – Total Years Involved

Executive Chair of First- Year Orientation: 1
The main responsibility of the Executive Chair is to lead the group of Orientation Leaders and act as a liaison between the administration, the OLs, and the students. The Executive Chair assists with the planning of the upcoming Orientation program in the spring and serves on the selection committee that chooses the new Orientation Leaders and the new Steering Committee members.

Academic Co-Chair of the First-Year Orientation 1
As a member of the Steering Committee, the Academic Co-Chairs attend a leadership training to help all of the OLs work together as a group of 40 students to lead a successful orientation program. The Academic Co-Chairs supervise the academic programs during Orientation, such as course schedule changes, First-Year Seminar summer reading discussions, and advisor meetings.

Orientation Leader 3
The Orientation Leaders welcome new students to the Lafayette community and familiarize them with our shared community and academic values and expectations. The OLs help first-year students feel connected and part of Lafayette College from their first days on campus by making them familiar with the resources, support services, and information that foster success and with the College’s expectation for rigorous intellectual engagement in a liberal arts environment

Alcohol and Other Drugs Standing Committee (AODSC) Student Representative 1
Established in November 2012, The AODSC has been working to address high risk drinking and the negative implications associated with high risk drinking.

Orientation Planning Committee 2
For two years I have served on the committee on administrators that revises the Orientation schedule from the previous year and plans the program and events for the upcoming Orientation Week.

Tutor for the Academic Tutoring and Training Information Center (ATTIC) 3
Students can register for tutors through the ATTIC (Academic Tutoring and Training Information Center) for a tutor in a subject that they are having difficulty succeeding in. I am a tutor for three Psychology courses (Introduction to Psychology, Quantitative Methods, and Design & Analysis) and I was previously a tutor for American Sign Language when it was offered as a course last year.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Representative: 4
SAAC is a representative body of student athletes at Lafayette that provides an avenue for the voice of the student-athletes to be heard at the local, conference, and national level. Representatives from each athletic team meet to effectively communicate with the Lafayette College Athletic Department and to organize the involvement of Lafayette’s student-athletes in campus and community projects, as well as supporting each other’s athletic events.

“The Big Shave” St. Baldrick’s Foundation Team Coordinator 1
This year I coordinated the fundraising for “The Big Shave” event on behalf of the Lafayette Swimming and Diving teams. The event supported the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which raises money for pediatric cancer research and supports children who are diagnosed with cancer and their families. I sent solicitation emails to the parents and to my teammates to inform them of our team’s participation and that our coach volunteered to shave his head if we could raise $300. As a team we raised $930 for the event, which surpassed our initial goal of $300.

President and Member of Psi Chi 2
I have been a member of Psi Chi since the spring of my sophomore year.  As a member of this club, I attend regular lectures on campus that pertain to Psychology and participated in fundraising for our organization. As the President of Psi Chi, I plan our board meetings, general body meetings, and the initiation ceremony and the fundraising events for our organization.

President and Member of Order of Omega 1
I was initiated into Order of Omega this past spring and was elected to serve as President for the upcoming school year. As the president, I oversaw changes to the application process and the planning for group events, such as community service participation.

 

Community Service – Total Years Involved

Hilltop Little League Challenger Baseball
I started volunteering for Challenger when I was 9 years old (in 2001) because my mother started Challenger Baseball  in order to provide disabled children, like my older sister, the opportunity to play and learn from baseball. Originally, I was just a “buddy” and assisted one player during each game, but over the years I have become more involved and help with the planning and coaching of the season and the teams.

Special Olympics Swimming Coach 4
Along with the Lafayette Women’s and Men’s Swimming Team’s I have volunteer-coached members of the Easton-Area Special Olympics Swim Team (Warren Arc) to prepare these athletes for their regional swimming competitions.

“The Big Shave” St. Baldrick’s Foundation Team Coordinator 1
This year I coordinated a team on behalf of the Swimming and Diving teams at Lafayette for “The Big Shave” event in February. I sent solicitation emails to the parents and to my teammates and as a team we raised $930 for the event, which surpassed our initial goal of $300.

 

Athletics Activity/Award – Total Years Involved

2013 Maroon-Club Scholar Athlete 1
An award presented annually by the Maroon Club at Lafayette College to one male and one female student-athlete who displays exemplary skills in the classroom and on the field of competition.

Division I Women’s Swimming Team 4
I have participated on the Women’s Swimming & Diving Team for 4 years at Lafayette.

Captain of Women’s Swimming Team Captain 1

Women’s Swimming Team Academic Achievement Award 3
Awarded to the member of the women’s swimming team with the highest cumulative GPA.

Most Valuable Performer for the Class 2014 3
An award presented annually to the most valuable female performer in the Class of 2014 for outstanding athletic performance.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Representative 4
SAAC is a representative body of student athletes at Lafayette that provides an avenue for the voice of the student-athletes to be heard at the local, conference, and national level. Representatives from each athletic team meet to effectively communicate with the Lafayette College Athletic Department and to organize the involvement of Lafayette’s student-athletes in campus and community projects, as well as supporting each other’s athletic events.

Women’s All-Academic Patriot League Swimming Team 1

Athletic Department Gold Level Academic Honor Roll 4
Awarded to student-athletes at Lafayette who have a GPA of at least 3.80 during the semester.

Patriot League Honor Roll 4
Awarded to varsity athletes in the Patriot League who have a GPA of at least 3.20 during their NCAA recognized season.

 

Special Interest – Total Years Involved

Swimming Coach 4
Because of my involvement in the Challenger Baseball program, I developed a passion for coaching at a young age. Initially, I gave private swim lessons, but then I started my formal coaching career as an assistant coach for two swim teams, Waynesborough Country Club (WCC) Swim Team and the Episcopal Academy Aquatic Club (EAAC). I have coached at WCC for four years and coached at EAAC for two years.

Softball Coach 4
In high school while I was on the Varsity Softball team, I started coaching the middle school pitchers so that they could improve their form and technique and learn more pitches. I continue to coach girls from the ages of 7-17 years old in both individual and group lessons that I run during the winter and spring breaks and the summer.