Alexandra Campanaro
Alexandra Campanaro

First Major: Psychology                                             
Minor: Women and Gender Studies
Thesis:  Response Initiated Delay in Variable Interval Schedules with an  Added Clock Stimulus and Terminal Line

Personal Statement
Lafayette gives students a multitude of opportunities, allowing them to pursue different courses of study, participate in different activities, and engage in different ways of making the most out of their college experience. Lafayette students are hardworking, involved in their community, and most importantly they work together to lend a helping hand to their fellow students. Because of this, it may seem hard to grasp the concept of what constitutes as the “Lafayette ideal”; however, I believe the “ideal” student is one who possesses qualities of unselfish leadership and who has a passion for making a difference in the community.

An unselfish leader puts the needs of others above their own. This is a core value of my sorority and the college. Lafayette gave me the chance to grow as a student and individual, and hone my leadership abilities. For example, as Psychology Club President, I have given opportunities to students of all class years by helping them improve their skills to be successful in the classroom and in their future careers.

I have made a positive impact on the Lafayette community by being involved in a variety of activities. I helped organize the blood drive and served as a Gateway Ambassador helping students get engaged with the Gateway Career Center. I have also made a positive impact on the Easton community by working with low-income young parents in workshops to aid them in dealing with adversities.   This cumulated in making a documentary to show high school aged parents the benefits of participating in the workshops.

Lafayette pushes students like myself, to be the best they can be, and that is what makes the “Lafayette ideal” possible.

Academic Activities/Awards – Total Years Involved

      • Senior Thesis in Psychology 1
        I am conducting my senior thesis research project in the Psychology Department under the advisement of Dr. Robert Allan. With white Carneau pigeons as subjects, we are examining the effects of adding a response initiated delay schedule to a variable interval schedule. One peck will be required to begin the schedule and pausing directly after the reinforcement will be observed. My project proposal has been approved by my thesis committee and I have ran my experiment for approximately 110 days. I am currently in the process of analyzing the results.
      • Psi Chi National Honors Society 2
        As an active member of Psi Chi, I attend meetings, events, and lectures related to psychology. I also have completed community service projects like making cards for the homeless shelters and nursing homes, as well as donating textbooks to the local prison.
      • Psi Chi National Honor Society: Vice President 1
        I actively work on planning events for members to attend as well as working closely with the Psychology Club to allow members to remain active by getting points. I assist in running monthly general body meetings and continuously promote community service among members.
      • Psychology Club: President 1
        As acting President I have introduced Lab Report Writing workshops to both upper level Psychology students as well as Intro to Psychology students, Professor talks so Professors are able to share not only what they teach in their classes and their own reresearch, but jobs that one could get in the field, and an ice cream social for more students to learn about Psychology, Neuroscience, and the club as a whole. I have lead the club to work I extremely hard to help not only majors, but anyone interested in Psychology. The goal I have set is to do what I can to help every year, by giving support to the younger students with the Professor talks, showing them what each classes are about, as well as the upper level students, aiding them with graduate school and job opportunities.
      • Psychology Club: Special Events Coordinator 2
        Joining the Psychology club there was a need for an extra position on the board to manage events and Public Relations. Since creating the position of Special Events Coordinator, I have organized dozens of events for the Lafayette College Psychology Department, including a graduate school night, a movie night, and lectures about different fields of psychology. I also created both the Lafayette Psychology Club Facebook and Twitter accounts and have put in place various Committees heading projects of advertising for club-sponsored events, interviewing professors, and planning the End of the Year BBQ.
      • Learning Lab Assistant 1
        I assisted a professor in preparing for the class and teaching the students about the behavioral experiments using Carneau pigeons. I came in over the summer to assist the professor in updating all of the quizzes. I had responsibility to teach some of to teach some of the lab classes alone. I previously attended each class during the week and distributed cumulative records every class using Sigma Plot to show the changes in the pigeon’s behavior. I held weekly office hours to assist 25 students.
      • Introduction to Psychology Lab Assistant (PLA) 2
        I have had experience in preparing, teaching, and grading the lab section of the Introduction to Psychology class during my time as a PLA. I hold weekly office hours to provide one-on-one assistance to twenty students. Through this experience I have gained valuable skills in public speaking and commanding a classroom of college level students.
      • Independent Study on Pigeon Procrastination 1
        I worked with Carneau pigeons and studied their likelihood to pause after the reinforcement of food was given depending if the variable interval schedule the stimuli was moving or was static. I gained experience conducting research and learned more about behavioral concepts. I attended lab three times a week as well as several weekends.
      • Presented at LVAIC Undergraduate Women’s Studies Conference 1
        I presented my documentary on the Theater of the Oppressed workshops at the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) Undergraduate Women’s Studies Conference. I was able to discussed my video with other academics while gaining experience
      • Dean’s List 3
        I have made Dean’s List in the Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, and Spring 2014 semesters. I was not eligible for Dean’s List in the Fall 2014 semester because I took three classes, one being an internship that was pass/fail.

Campus Service/Activities and Awards – Total Years Involved

      • Blood Drive Committee: Vice President 1
        I am currently involved in setting up the Blood Drive logistics. I distribute flyers and recruit members of the student body, faculty, and alumni to participate in the Blood Drive through creating a Facebook event. As a representative of the Blood Drive Committee, I was given the opportunity to throw the opening pitch at an Iron Pigs game to help promote the Miller Keystone foundation.
      • Blood Drive Committee Public Relations Chair 2
        As Public Relations Chair I created the Facebook page for the Lafayette Blood Drive and started having Facebook events for each drive to increase student participation. I also delivered information about the blood drive to each Greek organization.
      • Secretary of Delta Delta Delta Sorority 1
        As secretary I helped run Chapter meetings, I took attendance at all events, and was in charge of keeping chapter records. During my term I was in charge of the Bylaws Committee, rewrote Chapter Bylaws and helped put in place changes. I gained valuable experience learning the inner-workings of policy making in an organization.
      • Member of Nomination Committee of Delta Delta Delta 1
        Each fall two class representatives from each year are elected to form the officer slate. As the senior class representative I ran the nomination meeting for the entire class and took the class nominations to the committee. The committee then slated each officer.
      • Gateway Ambassador 2
        I actively serve as a liaison between Career Services and the student body, informing the students about the resources Career Service has to offer. I attend monthly meetings and am currently working on a project making profiles of the current Gateway Ambassadors. I previously worked on a group project to increase attendance at Networking Nights.

Community Service – Total Years Involved

      • Documentary on Theater of the Oppressed Workshops 1
        I filmed, edited, and produced several versions of a documentary on the Theater of the Oppressed workshops conducted with Lafayette Women and Gender Studies students and young parents from the Easton Community. I gained a deeper understanding of Theater of the Oppressed and forum theater and was able to use those skills to make a comprehensible video. This documentary will be shown at conferences as well as in Easton High School as another resource for the young parents.
      • Theater of the Oppressed Workshops 2
        I first began participating in Theater of the Oppressed Workshops as a part of my “Single Motherhood” class. I have attended four workshops, intensively participating in two, while filming the other two. I worked closely with many of the low-income young mothers in the community and continue to touch base with the mothers.
      • Easton Area Neighborhood Center Internship 1
        I devoted ten or more hours a week to various jobs helping the neighborhood center function. I worked with single teen parents through Theater of the Oppressed Workshops and created a documentary on the workshops. I also attended monthly one on one meetings with teen parents from Easton High School and a representative from the Neighborhood Center, where I listened attentively to the conversations and gave my input and help when I could.
      • Organizer of Easton Area Neighborhood Center Night at the Races Fundraiser 1
        I acted as point person for the Night at the Races Fundraiser creating Google Docs and compiling information of sales. I also created various posters for event as well as inserts for the programs. During the fundraiser I helped distribute funny money, take bets for the races, and helped calculate the odds. I was able to help raise thousands of dollars to help the Easton Community.
      • Light Up the Night 2
        Participated in event for children in the Easton community. Helped create and run booths for children to come play and receive candy. This was a safe alternative of Trick or Treating the children could enjoy.

 Athletics Activity/Award – Total Years Involved

      • Lafayette College Division I Varsity Softball 1
        I was a member of the Varsity Softball team for a year and a half. I pitched and played first base and developed strong time management skills.
      • Peer Mentor 1
        As I was on the Varsity Softball team, I mentored other first year student athletes. I met with each student once a week and gave them advice on classes as well as helped them balance their responsibilities on the field and in the classroom.
      • Gold Medal, Athletic Honor Roll
        During my time on the softball team, I made the Gold Medal honor roll every semester (Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012).
      • Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
        During my time on the Varsity softball team, I made the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll (Spring 2012).
      • Lafayette College Club Softball 1
        Even though I stopped playing Varsity softball in order to get more involved in other aspects of campus life, I still have a passion for the sport. I currently pitch and play first base.

Special Interest – Total Years Involved

    • Behavior Analysis Therapist 2
      I currently administer behavioral therapy to a five year old with autism. I have learned behavioral concepts and gained skills to apply them to a real world setting. I devote several hours a week to administering therapy and I attend training sessions on a monthly basis to update goals. I have gained a strong passion for behavioral therapy from this experience and will be attending Caldwell University to persue a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis.
    • Externship Program 3
      I participated in three externships throughout my time at Lafayette. My first externship was with an American Depository Receipts (ADR) Trader at JPMorgan Chase. I shadowed the ADR trader and learned about managing the ADR swap-books. During this externship I learned extensively about the organization and the modes of business. My second externship was with a School Psychologist in the Roxbury School district. I attended meetings with parents and faculty during my externship and not only learned about the testing school psychologist do to determine if a child should be put into special education, but how to interact with parents and faculty to get the best result for the child. My third externship was with a Family Therapist in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Through this experience I learned about a systems approach to therapy and that a lot of our behavior is affected by those we interact with.
    • Lafayette College Chorus 2
      As a part of the choir, I was able to participate in a masterwork with the composer Gabriela Lena Frank. I developed my vocal skills and became a better sight-reader. I also enjoyed singing at events like football games and the president’s inauguration.
    • A Taste of Italian Engineering Interim Trip 1
      I took a three week interim class in Italy studying the engineering of buildings as well as food. Since Lafayette is an engineering school, I am glad I was able to learn about engineering through this amazing experience. I learned so much about the history and culture of Italy.
    • Capital Markets Operations Internship 1
      I reviewed mortgage loans at JPMorgan Chase, to determine if they met criterion for securitizing the loans for sale on the secondary market. I owned a project analyzing the internal and external earnings releases and developed reasoning behind the profit and losses. I also developed strong excel skills.