At left, Gwenden Dueker, professor of psychology, and Jing
Chen, professor of psychology, supported student learning experiences
at the Practicing Resilience Conference.
A recent conference for the community focused on creating resilience
and building relationships also offered a high-impact learning
opportunity for students.
The Practicing Resilience Conference was a joint effort by the Grand Rapids-based nonprofit
Family Futures and the Psychology Department. The Faculty
Teaching and Learning Center also contributed funding, said Gwenden
Dueker, who was involved with the conference along with fellow
psychology colleague Jing Chen.
Family Future representatives described the focus of the conference
as bringing together a broad group of presenters with expertise in
mentoring across generations, creating resilience in neighborhoods and
building authentic relationships.
Student groups from PSY 380 (Trauma & Resilience across the
Lifespan) presented at breakout sessions on topics of violence,
substance use and community resilience, Dueker said. More than 140
people from numerous local community organizations attended.
Here are the reflections of three students who participated in the
conference. All three are recent graduates.
Cabdulcasiis Ciise, psychology major: "I thought this was a valuable experience because it gave me
the chance to become knowledgeable on a specific topic and have the
confidence to present it to an audience who was interested. This was a
great experience because it also helped me build connections with
people in the community who do the work I, one day, dream of doing."
Jessica Otey, psychology major: "I would say the event was a great way to get connected with
not only my classmates but with the community. Seeing everyone so
interested in the topics made the day really fun. This was a great
learning experience for me and I would do it all over again!"
Ezri Sutter, psychology and criminal justice major: "I found this event to be an incredible opportunity to
educate the community on how prevalent substance use disorders are in
the community and also give different strategies to promote resilience
in these groups. I was able to learn so much from being able to
present on this topic, but also by hearing from the experience of
others who do work with this population every day."
A veteran leader at Steelcase, Richardson-Green will provide students with examples of leadership and service that 'deepen their educational experience.'