Krystle Duckett

Krystle has been an excellent student throughout her time at USCA; she has a high grade point average, is a member of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, and has been a psychology lab assistant for the past two years.  She was a co-author on a research presentation at a major conference in psychology.  Perhaps most impressive, Krystle was awarded the first USC Aiken Magellen Scholar research award.  She is completing her project titled “Stimulus Generalization and Context Effects in the Reinstatement of Fear” and will present the results at the USC Discovery Day in Columbia later this month.

Lauren Avellone

Lauren has been a leader in our Clinical Psychology graduate program during her two years at USC Aiken.  Her clinical and research skills are exemplary.  Her active involvement in research has resulted in her authorship on four paper presentations at major psychology conferences.   She is completing her master’s thesis on “Reinforcement Sensitivity and Persistence at Gambling: The Effects of Winning versus Losing” She has just been hired as a Behavior Support Specialist with the Aiken Tri-Development Center where she will gain some clinical experience before entering a Ph.D Program next Fall. 

Angela Tunno

Angela has been an excellent student throughout her time at USCA; she has a high grade point average and was elected to four honors societies, including Psi Chi, tha National Honor Society in Psychology.  Angela has been a captain on the dance team for two years, competed in three National competitions and was named MVP for the dance team last year.  She has been an active member of the USCA community, participating in numerous volunteer activities for programs such as the Relay for Life, the Golden Harvest Food Bank, and the Cumbee Center. Angela hopes to pursue graduate work by entering the Master of Science Program in Applied Clinical Psychology at USC Aiken next Fall.

Liesl Glover

       Liesl has excelled as a graduate student in Applied Clinical Psychology. Liesl has received a graduate assistantship through the Aiken County School District, conducting applied behavioral interventions for children with autism and other special needs.  She conducted her master’s thesis on “The Role of Peer Victimization Status and Attributional Style on the Expression of Anxiety in Children and Adolescents.” She has been admitted to a PhD. Program at the University of Akron, where she intends to become a licensed clinical psychologist. 

Katrina Shealy

     Katrina is a graduating Psychology major, who has maintained her LIFE scholarship throughout her time at USC Aiken. She is an outstanding student with a near perfect GPA.  She was recently inducted into Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, and is the current Secretary/Treasurer of the Psychology Club. Katrina hopes to pursue graduate work by entering the Master of Science Program in Applied Clinical Psychology at USCA.

Maria Kuznetsova

     Fluent in five languages Maria received a bachelor’s degree in economics from a university in Northwestern Russia before coming to the US and entering the USCA graduate program.  For the past 10 years, she has been involved in the assistance of placement of Russian children for families in various US cities. Maria is completing her master’s thesis “Factors influencing the development of emotional, behavioral, and social problems in internationally adopted children.”  She will also be presenting various research projects at two international conferences in the next year. During her graduate studies she was an applied behavior therapist for Autistic children in the Aiken County Public Schools for two years and has co-presented workshops in one of the local prisons focusing on parenting skills and family conflict resolution.  Maria plans to pursue her Ph.D. and her research interest in the area of internationally adopted children. 

 Dennis Fowler

Dennis transferred from Midlands Tech in order to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology.  He was with the City of Columbia fire department for 25 years and retired as a Battalion Chief.  While at USCA, Dennis has accumulated a high grade point average, been secretary/treasurer of the psychology club, became president of the skeet and target club, joined the Psychology Honor Society Psi Chi, named to the National Dean’s List and Who’s Who and was the recipient of the Psychology Faculty Scholarship.  He has been admitted to our Master of Science in Applied Clinical Psychology program in order to work with victims of trauma, particularly in PTSD cases.  When not studying, Dennis enjoys horseback riding, reading, and ballroom dancing with Barbara, his spouse of 27 years. 

Brandi Ansley

Brandi has excelled as a graduate student in Applied Clinical Psychology. Faculty and students are continually impressed by the dedication, enthusiasm, and initiative she displays. Brandi has been involved in activities ranging from teaching stress management classes at the Edgefield Federal Prison to serving on a faculty search committee. Brandi has been outstanding clinically as well as academically. She also has been an active scholar. Brandi has presented the findings of three empirical studies at professional conferences since entering the program and she is completing her Master’s Thesis entitled “The Role of Demographic Variables in Social Physique Anxiety and Exercise Participation”. Currently, Brandi is working at the Aiken-Barnwell Mental Health Center, where she provides group therapy as part of a Graduate Assistantship. After graduation, Brandi plans to obtain a license as a Professional Counselor in South Carolina, and possibly pursue a doctoral degree in Psychology.

Sandye Ouzts

Sandye is an outstanding student, graduating magna cum laude, and also graduating with honor’s in psychology.  Her honors thesis is entitled “Maternal Risk Factors and Maltreated Preschoolers’ Development: An Assessment of Maternal Internal Representational Models and Children’s Effortful Control, Problem Solving, and Attachment”.   Her previous independent research project was awarded the Merv Wagner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research by the SC Psychological Association and was subsequently published in the American Journal of Undergraduate Research and the USCA Social Sciences and Humanities Journal.   She will be beginning a Ph.D. program in School Psychology at North Carolina State University in the fall.

Jeanette Hanna

 Jeanette is a gifted graduate student who has served as a fine role-model and mentor for other graduate students.  To complement her perfect outstanding performance in her coursework, she has also performed superbly in her clinical work, and is a rising star in the field of research.  Her desire to excel, and willingness to tackle challenging projects is evident through her Master's thesis work titled “Development of postpartum depression: An examination of maternal attitudes and the relationship to marital satisfaction, social support, and employment.”  In the past two years she held Graduate Assistantships at the Aiken Tri-Development Center and conducted assessments for a clinical psychologist in the area. She hopes to obtain a license as a Professional Counselor in South Carolina, and possibly pursue her Ph.D. in Psychology in the future.

Suman Marks

Suman is an amazing person in many respects. She is an outstanding student, graduating magna cum laude, and also graduating with honor’s in psychology, her thesis entitled “Effects of Snake Phobia on Emotional Stroop Task Performance.” She is a member of Gamma Beta Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Pi Gamma Mu honor societies, as well as the African American Student Alliance, the GLOBE International Club, the Skeet and Target Club, and the Psychology Club. Suman is very involved in the community as well. She has volunteered with organizations such as Project Vision, the Walk for Autism, Habitat for Humanity, ACTS, the March of Dimes, and the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. In addition, she serves as the Chairperson for the Parent and Consumer Advisory Council for the State of South Carolina. Suman has managed to do all this while raising 2 small children and working 20 hours a week at the Health Department as a Parent Resource Specialist for Children's Rehabilitative Services. After graduation, she plans to continue working at the Health Dept. while pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Rachel Metts

Rachel entered our program after receiving her BA in Psychology at USCA in 2000 and has grown into the consummate psychological professional in that short time span. To complement her perfect outstanding performance in her coursework, she has also performed superbly in her clinical work. She is currently completing her Master’s Thesis entitled “The Effects of Nicotine Availability on Self-reported urge and Reaction Time”. While a graduate student, she has received a Graduate Assistantship for her work providing assessment services at the Aurora Pavilion. Rachel has already been offered positions at the Aurora Pavilion and Vocational Rehabilitation Center for employment after graduation. She hopes to obtain a license as a Professional Counselor in South Carolina, and possibly pursue her Ph.D. in Psychology in the future. 

William Harbert

After four years in the United States Marine Corps, William came to USCA as a double major in psychology and sociology and will graduate in only three years Summa Cum Laude.  In this time he has been on the National Dean's list, President of Pi Gamma Mu, member of Gamma Beta Phi and Chi Delta Chi, and selected for "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges".  While performing extraordinary academic work, Mr. Harbert worked full time and was a YMCA youth counselor.  He will enter graduate school in psychology in the fall, and rumor has it his top program choice is the USCA Clinical Psychology Graduate Program. 

David Green

David was the recipient of our outstanding undergraduate psychology student award.  David has produced exceptional work throughout his academic career in the graduate program. He has a perfect performance record in his graduate coursework, consistently performing at the top in his classes. David's research interests lie in the examination of fear conditioning models and in the treatment of anxiety disorders, and he is particularly interested in factors associated with the return of fear in clients with anxiety disorders. He has been a co-author on a paper presented at a national Psychology convention, and is currently completing his Master's thesis, entitled "The Examination of Temporal and Contextual Effects upon the Reinstatement of Fear".  Aside from his academic work, David has served as an outstanding representative of his peers and of USC Aiken, serving as a graduate student member on several departmental committees. Mr. Green plans on working in the counseling field following graduation and will certainly prove to be an asset to the mental health field. 

Sharon Whitley

Sharon  is graduating with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Mathematical Sciences.  She has made the Dean's Honor List every semester she has been at USCA.  She has also been very active in student organizations.  She has been an associate member of Pi Gamma Mu, the honors society in social sciences, and  the Psychology Club since 1997.  In her years with the Psychology Club, she has played an influential  leadership role, having served as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-president, and President.  She plans on  pursuing a PhD in Industrial/ organizational psychology.

Margaret Whyte

Peggy has been an outstanding performer in her tenure in the master's degree program. She entered our first graduate class in the fall of 1998, and has been looked upon as a leader among her peers. Peggy brings a unique perspective to the psychology program as a practicing nurse, effectively melding the fields of medicine and clinical psychology. Her master's thesis involves the investigation of emotional consequences associated with post-cardiac event interactions.