Psychology Peer Ambassador Pilot Program

The Psychology Peer Ambassador program is a new initiative in the department designed to foster community and connection among psychology majors, faculty, and staff. More specifically, it is an opportunity for psychology undergraduates, who meet the qualifications outlined below, to volunteer their time to:

• Serve as a peer mentor to an assigned caseload of new students as they transition into NC State and the Department of Psychology
• Share their experience as an NC State student and psychology major 
• Contribute ideas and stories to this e-newsletter
• Plan and execute department-wide service-learning/community service projects 

Qualifications to apply:

• Minimum 2.5 NC State cumulative GPA
• Completed at least one year at NC State 
• Completed at least one semester in the Department of Psychology
• Completed at least 3 psychology classes preferably at NC State
• Classified as a sophomore, junior, or senior psychology major 

This is a volunteer, unpaid position but Peer Ambassadors will develop a host of transferable skills to put on their resume and be recognized for their contributions at their departmental graduation ceremony. 

Meet the Spring 2023 Peer Ambassadors (below) and contact Trista Law (tjlaw@ncsu.edu) with any questions about the program.

Kelsey Davis (she, her, hers)

My name is Kelsey Davis and I am from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I am a junior majoring in psychology and double minoring in social work and women’s, gender and sexuality studies. In my free time, I love doing all things creative. I play guitar and electric bass, and I love to sing. I am also a member of Chordination A Cappella here at State, so making music is how I spend a lot of my time. As well as that, I also enjoy crafts like knitting and crocheting. My favorite things to make are crochet stuffed animals. When I’m not doing something art related, I spend a lot of time reading, especially science fiction books. I chose to attend NC State since I have a family history at this school. I have multiple family members who have graduated from here, as well as some who work here. Along with this, I fell in love with the campus the second I saw it. Psychology has always been an area of interest for me ever since I can remember. My grandmother was a psychiatric nurse, so I heard a lot about the mental health care field. After taking AP psychology in high school, I knew it was something I would enjoy as a career. I am so excited to be a Peer Ambassador and I can’t wait to represent the Department of Psychology going forward!

Jenny Huang (she, her, hers)

My name is Peihan Huang. I prefer to go by Jenny. I’m an international student from Taiwan. If anybody would like to travel to Taiwan, I’ll be more than happy to give you a tour. I’m a huge fan of music. I sing and play piano and violin during Sunday service at church. I enjoy cooking a lot. I have an Asian stomach and had missed food in Taiwan, so I tried to make it on my own here. I would love to cook for you if anyone wants to try it, just let me know. I like to travel. Being in nature is one way I apply to release stress. When I’m depressed, I’ll go to the lake or mountains and have a walk. I’m currently a senior right now at NC state university. I major in psychology, with a minor in biological science. Exploring the connection and relationship between people and the world is one thing I’m passionate about, therefore I have chosen to study psychology. Family meant a lot to me, I consider them as my life support, mentally and physically. This contributes to the thought of building up connections within the psychology department. As a psychology peer ambassador, I wish to act like a family member for each student, to make them feel at home, and provide them with all the support they need. There are lots of obstacles and stress that we, as college students, are struggling with. I have experienced them and would love to share them with new students and provide them with guidance to walk through the hard times they might encounter. Keeping your mental health in good condition is the key to success during college and I’m here to share the positive energy.

Caleb Carwell (he, him, his)

My name is Caleb Carwell and I am a senior psychology major this year at NC State. I am from Rocky Mount, NC, and have lived in Raleigh for the past 3 and a half years. I chose psychology as my major because I have felt an intrinsic fascination for human behavior and a deeply rooted motivation to understand my own human experience for as long as I can remember. My ultimate goal is to understand what constitutes the human experience from a psychological perspective as much as possible, and to use that knowledge to help others by developing authentic interpersonal relationships as a practicing therapist and contributing to current empirical understandings of relevant concerns. By serving as a peer ambassador I am most excited about meeting new people, developing authentic relationships, and developing my problem-solving skills to put myself in a better position to inform my long-term goals. Outside of academia, my hobbies include going to museums, hiking, reading, cooking, exercising, volunteering, and going to concerts. I am currently reading The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt, but also enjoy novels of most genres. My favorite place to travel is Colorado, as I visit my uncle who lives in Boulder at least once per year. I tend to enjoy smaller/local concerts more than arena concerts and try to see live music at some point every weekend. If you like music, art, reading, movies, anime, psychology, philosophy, food, being outside, or getting to know new people, we will certainly have plenty to talk about!

Lily Palmer (she, her, hers)

Hi everyone! My name is Lily Palmer, and I am a sophomore here at NC State! Currently, I am a psychology major, and I also plan to major in criminology as well as minor in statistics. I am originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour outside of Philadelphia. At State, I serve as the vice-president of the Psychology Club, conduct research on the school-to-prison pipeline with Dr. Woods, and am a certified Wellness Coach working at Wellness and Recreation. I am also a part of the Caldwell Fellows Program, and I volunteer as a domestic violence hotline advocate with Compass Center for Women & Families. Outside of school, I love to visit family that lives in Wilmington, including my 1-year-old nephew! I also like to spend time with friends, read, and binge TV series (I am a sucker for reality TV and true crime!). I chose to attend NC State because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and go to college in a different state but also be close to some extended family at the same time. The lack of snow is definitely a plus for me too! I chose to major in psychology because I have experiences in my family with mental illness, and in my future career, I hope to help other people who have gone through similar hardships. More specifically, I hope to pursue graduate school to become a psychologist and work in the criminal justice system. I am interested in providing therapy in prisons as well as researching how improved mental health services in prisons could potentially decrease recidivism (returning to prison) rates. With that all being said, I am extremely excited to serve as a Peer Ambassador for the Psychology Department this spring 2023! I am looking forward to connecting with fellow psychology majors and helping them along their educational, professional, and personal journeys here at State!

Karina Seebaluck (she, her hers)

My name is Karina Seebaluck and I’m from Wake Forest/Raleigh, NC. I’m a junior pursuing majors in psychology and Spanish with minors in cognitive science and nonprofit studies. In the future, I aspire to be a clinical psychologist for youth. At NC State, I’m a research assistant with the Teen Health Lab under Dr. Laura Widman and the Family Affects Behaviors and Beliefs Lab under Dr. Amy Halberstadt. I am also a Pack Abroad Ambassador (ask me anything about studying abroad)! I enjoy hanging out with my family, working out, watching movies, and baking in my free time. Throughout my career in psychology, I hope to contribute to diversifying the field of psychology and making mental health care more accessible to minority communities. I chose NC State because the university supports undergraduate research and applied experiences as a way to enrich learning outside of the classroom. As a peer ambassador, I wish to help others navigate the psychology degree at NC State as well as make information about psychology-related extracurricular opportunities more accessible to all.