2nd years
Tim Dechert
Last summer, I worked as a sports director at a YMCA day camp. It was a real fun job but I worked 10-hour long days for five days a week. Living in Rochester for the past few years has been good. The winters here are a little rough. I think that the program is solid. I have an internship in Fulton, NY.
Jodi Peake
During this past year, I worked as a residential counselor in a home for women with eating disorders. I provided the women with both counseling and support through meal times and in treatment recovery. So far, I have loved the program here. It is a lot of work, but I have learned a lot. With both the practicum experience and classes, I feel as if I am ready to go out in the field.
My research is being conducted with Dr. Merydith. I am conducting research on the students’ perception of school climate in grades 4 to 6. I will look at their perceptions of their school and compare it to their academic records, discipline referrals, citizenship, and attendance. My internship is in Clifton Springs, NY.
Courtney Richmond
I continued working for Residence Life this last year. I think that the program has provided me a lot of information and balance in the different paths that school psychology is taking at this point. I think that we will be prepared for whatever school we are at.
My research is with Dr. Graney and we are examining the different reading assessments that are required by the Reading First grant as opposed to reading assessments that are required by the district.
Elizabeth Oberg
Over the summer, I worked three part-times jobs. I worked at the Huntington Learning Center, Home Depot, and as a paraprofessional serving the role of coteacher/interpreter. This program allowed for me to pursue my interests and provided support for this to be possible.
For my research thesis, I am comparing a traditional assessment approach to a cross-battery assessment model with executive functioning to identify learning difficulties with deaf and hard of hearing individuals. I am doing this study under the supervision of Jennifer Lukomski.
I will participate in an internship experience at Intermediate School District #287. This district provides services to thirteen local area districts near Plymouth, Minnesota. I look forward to providing a variety of services to this unique student population. I feel RIT School Psychology program has prepared me well for this upcoming experience.
Kathy Jensen
Over the summer, I worked at Springdale Farm for Heritage Christian Services. I am enjoying the program so far. The faculty are great and the new addition of Dr. Pandolfi made the staff even better. I feel like things are starting to be put in place in regards internships. I am doing my research with Dr. Lukomski and I’m looking at the lack of support in school for siblings of children with developmental disabilities.
My internship will be in Lockport, NY at Starpoint Central School District. I am expecting some great experiences. I will be doing a great deal of counseling and I will also be responsible for doing presentations to all 8th graders regarding suicide. The site is very unique in that all of the schools in the district are on one campus so working between the schools should be very easy. My supervisor seems great and I am very excited to work with her. Overall, I think that RIT has done a great job preparing me for my internship. Everyone that I interviewed with said that they are always impressed with the range of experiences that we get at the RIT program. T
Claire Young
Last summer, I nanny-sat for three “youngsters” ages 3, 7, and 8 in Pittsford. I am researching with the supervision of Dr. Lukomski. I have really enjoyed this program. I learning a lot and its challenging me in all the necessary ways. The upcoming year will continue to be here in NY as my internship is at East Rochester.
Courtney Wheeler
Last summer I worked for Shelbourne Farms, which is a historic working farm. My research deals with reading comprehension and is being done under the tutelage of Dr. Graney. I like the program and thought that it has been challenging and interesting. For my internship, I am heading out to Syracuse, NY.
Jen Merry
Hello! I am from Rochester, NY and enjoying the program here at RIT. Last summer, I worked several part-time jobs and worked on my thesis. In a nutshell, my thesis is about school to work transition and identity diffusion of LD students. My internship is in sunny Florida.
Julie Ziegler
I have an internship at Hilton Central Schools. I’m anticipating a little bit of everything since I will be working at a couple of different levels and sites. I will definitely be doing some assessments, hopefully some counseling, and will be an active member of the CSE team. I’ll also be working with a new 6:1: classroom, so maybe some FBA’s as well. I think I am definitely ready to move into my internship, and I think RIT did a good job although there’s only so much you can teach. Sometimes you have to go out there and just do it. I think my practicum placements have given me a wide variety of experiences to grow on.
Sean Scott
My internship over the next year will be at East Irondequoit Central School District. I hope to get a wide range of experiences and learn to function as vital member of the school team. I plan on keeping myself busy by involving myself in activities that coincide with the role of the school psychologist. I think that it’s hard for a program to truly prepare you for an internship or the working world, but I do feel that RIT’s program has given me an advantage over many other programs in this area and around the country.
Missy Barkau
My internship will be at Livonia Central School District. I expect to be highly involved in helping the district transition to an RTI model during the summer and first part of the school year. I will then move over to the high school and spend most of my time there.
Julie Miller
Over the next year, I will be in Colorado Springs, Colorado for my internship. I will be in Academy School District 20. I expect that this placement will be all encompassing, covering areas from counseling to Curriculum Based Measurement to test assessments.
