MSP is committed to contributing annually to assist in student scholarships and aid. Scholarship and financial assistance funding is supported by gifts from alumni, family, and friends. Generally, funds are disbursed in the form of tuition credit.
This academic year Evan MacAdams (PsyD 2), was awarded the Jill Benton Humanistic Psychology Scholarship (JBHPS), and Andrea Taylor (PsyD 3), was awarded the Aombaye Ramsey Diversity Award (ARDA). The honorees have written acceptance statements for their scholarship awards.
Aombaye Ramsey Diversity Award (ARDA)
The Aombaye Ramsey Diversity Award (ARDA) was created in 2004 to honor Dr. Aombaye Ramsey’s lifelong commitment to social justice. This award supports a PsyD student who shares that same commitment to advocate on behalf of diversity issues. Priority will be given to applicants who belong to an ethnic, racial, or cultural group traditionally underrepresented in the field of psychology.
“I am honored to receive the Aombye Ramsey scholarship for diversity. The call for multicultural diversity and social justice is voluminous and we in the field on mental health are prime for heeding the call and leading the charge. As a third-year doctoral student, this scholarship enables me to continue my training here at the Michigan School and keeps me on track to a 2020 graduation.
Our current social climate is polarizing regarding diversity inclusion and equity. Blatant acts of racism, both institutional and physical, which had laid dormant are now again raging and cannot be ignored. As an African-American clinician, I am compelled to educate my colleagues on the importance of multicultural competence and engage with my clients in consideration of their cultural context.
Diversity competency should be a global call to action. We, the leaders and healers of the psyche, cannot irresponsibly tout “color blindness” as our stance on race relations. Instead we must embrace the burden of these painful conversations and heal the resulting wounds. I humbly carry the torch for diversity and social justice into this new millennium, serving as a voice for change and action. Thank you, Dr. Ramsey, for your example.”
Jill Benton Humanistic Psychology Scholarship (JBHPS)
This scholarship honors Jill Benton, former MSP librarian and alum, and her commitment to humanistic psychology. The JBHPS supports a PsyD student who is committed to advancing the science and practice of humanistic psychology as demonstrated by excellence in scholarship.
“I am both honored and humbled to be the 2018-2019 recipient of the Jill Benton Humanistic Psychology Scholarship. This award reflects my commitment to humanistic psychology, passion for learning, excellence in scholarship, and continued contribution to the MSP community. For me, this award also means more than that. I recently described MSP as “a magical place” and even as I write this I am at a loss for a more accurate description. MSP is a magical place. It is a place where I immediately felt at home and accepted for exactly who I am. It is a place where I have seen healing, change, and growth occur through all types of relationships.
I feel so grateful to be part of the MSP community and I seek to represent MSP proudly not just in what I do, but in my way of being with everyone I encounter. Jon Kabat-Zinn (2005) so beautifully described the healing experience that can occur when one feels truly seen and understood, ‘You are seen and known and felt, and nothing, nothing in this world, feels better, puts you more at ease and sets the world alright, puts you more at peace’ (p. 199). Being honored with this award is validation that I am truly seen, known, and felt by my core faculty, and that is invaluable.
Humanistic psychologists seek to provide relationships that maximize the possibility for self-actualization. I have been fortunate enough to experience, both personally and professionally, the beautiful transformation that can take root once the foundation of a healthy relationship is laid. I strongly believe that at our cores all humans endeavor to live the best lives possible. My job is to walk with the individuals with whom I sit, co-exploring their personal conceptualizations of growth, and providing optimal circumstances for change to occur. I seek to use my experiences to better listen to, understand, and help others, journeying with them in self-exploration toward self-actualization. I strive to co-create growth-fostering relationships in academic, professional, and personal contexts. My belief in the self-actualizing capability of all humans aligns with MSP’s objective to maximize the potential of all MSP students. I will continue to proudly represent MSP and the humanistic values for which we stand in all that I do both professionally and personally.”
