Four questions about Reach Higher Together
Laura Aikens, vice president for Institutional Advancement, shares what comes next and what these commitments mean for GVSU's future.
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March 17, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 13)
January 11, 2022 (Volume 45, Number 9)
Pscyh Friends peer mentors are pictured after the 'Freud's Family Feud' game. In back row, from left, are Collin Petz (Freud), Liam Heart and Rachel Carpenter. In front, from left, are Aubrie Postma, Rachel Kloss, Casey Elkhoury, Sydney Spotts, Olivia Palumbo, Alli Cox and Kaylee Brandeen.
Photo Credit: courtesy photo
A Psychology Department peer mentoring program hosted an event inspired by a popular game show and infused with elements of the discipline.
“Freud’s Family Feud" featured a student host who dressed up as Sigmund Freud. The competing family names were the “Id Family” and “Ego Family,” as a reference to one of Freud’s theories.
Psych Friends is a peer-to-peer mentoring group for undergraduate students, led by Tessa Jordan, associate professor, who created the group with a few other faculty members.
“We focus on increasing psychology and behavioral neuroscience students’ academic success, but we also focus on improving students' well-being and making them feel connected to the department,” Jordan said. “The idea for ‘Freud Family Feud’ was generated by the Psych Friends peer mentors as a good way to build community in the department.”
Students were not only given the opportunity to build relationships with peers, but were also able to engage with faculty outside the classroom.
“It was really great because faculty were on the same teams with students, so it wasn’t students against faculty, it was students working with faculty against the other team,” Jordan said.
All students with a major or minor in psychology or behavioral neuroscience were welcome to attend the event.
This article was last edited on January 10, 2022 at 3:5 p.m.
Laura Aikens, vice president for Institutional Advancement, shares what comes next and what these commitments mean for GVSU's future.
Featured
March 17, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 13)
On March 26, the campus community can choose from hundreds of funds that support the Grand Valley student experience.
March 17, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 13)
Article by
Anna Davis
Traverse City residents and employers were the guests for the 100th episode.
March 17, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 13)
Article by
Sofia Pratt