The international psychology honors society, known as Psi Chi, inducted Josh Amodeo ’24, Anna Beer ’24, Alexandra Buchlmayer ’24, Rachel Scherer ’22, and Lucas Snyder ’24 on February 18 at Holy Cross College.

Psi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are in the top 35% academically and who are making the study of psychology one of their majors or minors. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA).

The mission of the Holy Cross College Psi Chi Chapter is to recognize and promote excellence in the science and application of psychology. Being part of the chapter is an honor bestowed on students who are psychology majors or minors who have shown academic excellence.

“My hope is that our Holy Cross College Psi Chi students will develop a sense of pride in their psychology education, a sense of community and support as a chapter and glean the honor and the many benefits that come from such membership,” noted Dr. Cosette Fox, Associate Professor of Psychology. Psi Chi is an honors society recognized worldwide and students can benefit from this recognition of excellence wherever life takes them. This membership is prestigious and will make them look more marketable for jobs and graduate school applications.

In order to qualify, students must:

  • be enrolled as a major or minor in a psychology program or a program psychological in nature
  • have completed at least 3 semesters or equivalent of full-time college coursework
  • have completed at least 9 semester credit hours or equivalent of psychology courses
  • have earned a cumulative GPA that is in the top 35% of their class (sophomore, junior, or senior) compared to their classmates across the entire university or the college that houses psychology (minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale)
  • have a minimum 3.0 GPA average for psychology courses

Alumna Francesca McCarthy, M.S., PsyM, presented “Psychology Behind Bars: My Journey from Holy Cross College to the Field of Correctional Psychology” at the event. She is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology. She graduated from Holy Cross College in 2014 with a major in Psychology and minors in Spanish, Global Perspectives, and Sociology. While on campus, she played four years on the women’s basketball team. Upon graduation, she earned her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Indiana State University in 2017, and her Psy.M. from Wright State University’s School of Professional Psychology in 2019. Her clinical experience includes work in state and federal prisons, local jails, and in adult probation services. She is especially interested in the treatment of pregnant inmates and completed her dissertation titled “Pregnant Inmates’ Knowledge of the Teratogenic Effects of Tobacco and Alcohol.”

Current Psi Chi officers are Mireya Robles ’22 president, Jack Mason ’22 co-president, Kyle Martin ’22 vice-president, Julie Wappel ’22 secretary, and Allison Hano ’22 treasurer.