Callie Ericson

For Callie Ericson, joining the Psychology TAP Program her freshman year made a huge difference throughout her time at UMass Amherst. The TAP program gave her confidence to work in research labs and opened doors to other opportunities, including working as a peer advisor, becoming a TA for Psychology 100, and joining the Cognition and Action lab led by Professor Rebecca Spencer. (Story continued below slideshow.)

In Dr. Spencer's lab, Callie is working on a project about the effects of different sleep stages on aspects of emotional memory. Callie works alongside graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to study young adults using polysomnography (PSG), which records brain waves and muscle movements during sleep with electrodes on the head and face. Callie will base her senior honors thesis on her research findings.

Callie spent a transformative semester abroad in South Africa her junior year. There, she took classes at the University of Cape Town and taught life-orientation skills to girls at an all-girls orphanage. Working with the girls, who were in the orphanage because of challenging domestic issues, opened her eyes to the living situations of disadvantaged women.

In addition to exploring South Africa, she also traveled to Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Victoria Falls. Callie calls her semester abroad her best decision at UMass. It gave her the opportunity to experience more of the world and indelibly shaped her career plans.

Callie is interested in many aspects of psychology, and in addition to working with people who have experienced difficult domestic situations, Callie is interested in the area of developmental disabilities. This semester, Callie is interning at the Behavioral Health Network working with clients who have intellectual disabilities. Once she graduates, she intends to obtain her Masters in Social Work and become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker- but first, she'll be putting on her traveling shoes to see more of the world.