REPresenting In Psychology: Uplifting Underrepresented Voices

The mission of the REP in Psychology program is to advance a vision of diversity, multicultural excellence, and belonging in higher education. To this end, the REP program works to provide underrepresented undergraduate students with hands-on experiences in support of their research, professional, and community development in science.

The REP program training structure centralizes the cultivation of three values we believe to be pillaring factors for academic success: Competencies, Culture, and Community. 

Competencies: This refers to technical and conceptual skills that are needed to plan, perform and disseminate research, manage and analyze quantitative data, and work collaboratively as well as independently within academic contexts. These competencies are developed through sustained research engagement as members of a paired lab, one-on-one training by peer, graduate student, and faculty mentors, and structured training in research methods, statistics, data analysis, and scientific literacy through our weekly professional development workshops.

Culture: This refers to conceptual and applicable knowledge of the underlying “ropes” or “ins and outs” of academic environments (e.g., labs, departments), institutions (e.g., graduate programs, scientific societies), and systems (e.g., social structures, professoriate pathways). Students’ cultural development occurs through structured and interpersonal learning experiences. Structurally, students engage with panels of faculty, graduate students, and working professionals to gain nuanced knowledge about several aspects of higher education, including (but not limited to) the structure of graduate school and the application processes for psychological science and related fields, preparatory factors for various graduate pathways, as well as potential academic and non-academic occupations. Interpersonally, students gain a cultural understanding of the graduate school environment through their sustained engagement with their paired labs, mentors, and peers.

Community: This refers to how students perceive themselves as part of a larger collective, and the benefits that arise from having a sense of belonging, validation, and visibility in higher education. To this end, students’ sense of community is developed through their close and positive contact with their faculty and graduate student mentors as well as their peers. Community-building activities in our weekly professional development workshops as well as monthly program socials (e.g. recreational activities, social events, etc) help maintain a sense of community within our program as a whole. Moreover, dedicated lectures and discussions also help identify and demystify academic spaces where students can find and foster community, such as academic societies, conference events, and affinity groups within one’s department.  

Funds raised will help support the sustainability and development of resources for students, graduate mentors, and the program itself. Student-wise, funds will be allocated towards costs related to work-study fees (e.g. administrative fees), research efforts (e.g., data collection, research poster printing), and professional development (e.g., travel and registration costs for conferences). Mentor-wise, funds will be allocated towards stipends to incentivize mentor recruitment, participation, and retention in the program. Program-wise, funds will be allocated towards community building activities and resources for students and mentors (e.g. food/beverage costs for resume-building workshops, and monthly student socials).

Funding acquired from the fundraiser will be used to cover yearly operating costs and will allow the program to expand the opportunities and the resources that we provide to students participating in the program.

Quotes from students in the program:

“I am very thankful to have had this opportunity. I truly feel as though REP has set the stage for me to continue embarking into research.”

“The opportunity meant so much more to me than a resume boost. I felt like I am part of a supportive and amazing community”

“I feel like the program gave me the push I needed to start looking into grad school seriously.”

“It was the best experience and space that I have been in and I really felt supported academically and personally.”

“It was a great experience for me, I am new to UC Berkeley and I really wanted to get involved in research so I felt like I created my first home and friendships at REP workshops”