When Sarah Steger heard about a new Psychology Club, she immediately decided to get involved and help make it a success. That desire lead her to serve as the club's first president, where she helped set the tone and direction for the organization.

"I wanted to get involved on campus and decided the Psychology Club would be a great way to do so," says Sarah, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2008. "I wanted to be a part of something new and help start something that would have an impact on the campus and the psychology students, and I wanted it to be a very successful club."

The Psychology Club provides a support system for psychology majors, or those interested in psychology at USF Polytechnic. The club holds meetings at least once a month to discuss classes available and the teaching styles of the various professors. As the club's first president, Sarah helped the group face the challenges and opportunities of beginning a new organization.

"Starting out was difficult because we had no clue where to begin," she says. "But it was also a blessing because we could make our club what we truly wanted it to be. We had several meetings to talk about our ideas and what we wanted from the club. We talked about not only the direction we wanted the club to go in, but also who would conduct and lead us in that direction. I stepped in and took a leadership role, conducting the meetings, laying out guidelines for the officer job descriptions, and providing questionnaires to get ideas and suggestions from students interested in the club."

"Realizing that I had stepped up to the plate and taken the role as the leader of the meetings, I decided that I wanted to be an officer in the Psychology Club. I put myself in the nomination for president and accepted the position."

"As the first president, I tried to set the standard for who we were and the direction of where we wanted the club to go. I wanted to make sure that everyone interested in becoming part of the club was a vital part in the formatting of the club. I listened to each and every opinion and took them all into consideration."

Sarah also invited faculty and staff to speak at club meetings and provide insight into the field of psychology and the directions that a degree in psychology can take you. "Mary Mittag offered us job insight, Dr. Nathan Thomas shared his knowledge in psychology, and Cara Hewett discussed the counseling field and provided details on the master's in counselor education program at USF Polytechnic," says Sarah.

As president, Sarah believed the club should be involved in the community as well as the campus. Club members helped support the Polk County School Board's Hearth Project, which offers assistance to homeless and at-risk students. For the Hearth Project's Fill-A-Bucket project, Psychology Club members collected hygiene items along with gifts such as a jacket, a stuffed animal, a book, and a toy. Club members also worked with the Hearth Project to collect Valentine's Day cards for students.
"Both collections were very successful, and I hope they will continue for many more years," says Sarah.

As she found herself approaching graduation and considering graduate school, Sarah realized she had a lot of questions about both topics. Realizing that other students also needed information, she helped plan and design orientation sessions on graduation and graduate school. "I knew nothing about either, but knew that I would soon need to know as much as possible about both topics."

She worked with staff on campus to provide ‘exit orientations.' The graduation orientation covered everything about graduation, such as where to find the required forms, how to fill them out, and how to order cap and gown regalia. The grad school orientation discussed everything from the GRE and GRE scores to how to write a good essay and what information to include with applications."

The Psychology Club sponsors both orientations, which are open to all students and the public.

Looking back on her time here, Sarah says, "I am proud that I had the opportunity to help start the club and be its first president. I am honored that I had the opportunity to run a new student organization and help format its place and direction. I know my hopes and dreams and visions will continue."