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Undergraduate Studies portfolio
Kayeeshia MorrisUndergraduate Psychology, 2011
Personal Statement
I fell in love with psychology in high school. After taking psychology and sociology my junior year, I began
thinking about taking psychology more seriously. Since neither subject went into serious depth in high school, I
was still clueless on what exactly psychology was and what I wanted to obtain from it. What I did know at that
particular time was that I had the ability of being able to get people to open up. People always seem to find it
easy to disclose their most personal feelings and thoughts to me. I love to listen to whatever someone has to
say,
I am usually selected as the mediator in an argument between others and I receive a great feeling from giving
advice.
Growing up I have given a helping hand on different occasions. Throughout grade school I read to the
younger kids. When I turned fifteen I began working at a daycare, where I then grew a strong love for children.
At sixteen I began participating every June in a program called the Juneteenth Festival, where all proceeds went
to less fortunate families. And for the past year, I have been volunteering with Hands On Atlanta one Saturday
per month to fill hygiene kits for the homeless.
Just from the earlier activities I participated in, made me realize that psychology just might be where I
belong. So prior to graduating high school, I spoke with my psychologist teacher about colleges I could apply to
for counseling psychology. One of the important things I learned was that it’s good to choose a career that
matches well with your interests (Lloyd, M. A. 1997). Being someone who gets bored easily, selecting a career
that I know I will enjoy for life is very important to me. So before I chose to apply to any schools, I took the time
to think what are other reasons I felt psychology was the right decision.
Personal Statement
Then I thought about my mother. My mother plays a major influence on why I chose to study psychology.
She has bipolar depression and schizophrenia. She has been diagnosed with the two illnesses for eleven years
now. Her illnesses have affected not only her but the family as well. After experiencing numerous “episodes”
From her, I then realized it was people like her I really look forward to helping.
Once I was accepted into Argosy University, I knew then I was on my way to becoming something greater.
But then there is always the bigger picture, what is my purpose and how will it benefit later? Coming into
studying psychology I had no clue as to what I planned to do once I received my bachelors and even if I planned
to go further than that degree. Knowing why you are in school helps you see the relevance between what you
are doing in school and how this will serve you later - either on the job or in graduate school (Lloyd, M. A. 1997).
Fast forward to my junior year in college, I know now that I want to become a family, marriage and
relationship psychologist. This goal I know will take more than just a bachelor’s and master’s degree to achieve.
I have been told by teachers that getting accepted into a good graduate school for psychology can be a slim
chance. Therefore, I stay on top of my studies so when the time comes to apply for graduate school, getting
accepted will be the last of my worries. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is something else I am preparing for.
This entrance exam is used by most graduate programs to select future students (Lloyd, M. A.1997).
Personal Statement
Now that I am settled into knowing more about psychology and what I plan to do, I have both clear
educational and career goals as to what I plan to do with my psychology degrees.
I would love to become exposed to the field even before I complete my bachelor's degree, this way I can
hopefully get a good job by the time I complete my master's. But what happens when I am ready to prosper?
After several years in an entry-level position, some individuals find that they want more challenges, more
money, better personnel benefits, more independence, more status, and less stress (Lloyd, M. A. 1997). This is
why one of my goals (if not the biggest), is to get my PhD. I know this will take awhile to accomplish, but in the
end my extensive education and training will pay off.
Resume
RESUME
Kayeeshia T. S. Morris
1315 Woodlands Drive Smyrna, GA 30080
678-266-8628
EDUCATION
Argosy University of Atlanta 2008-Present
980 Hammond Drive Bldg. 2, Ste 100 Atlanta, GA 30328
(888) 671-4777
College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Business and Education
Degree: BA in the Undergraduate Psychology Program.
Concentration: Counseling
Credit Hours (to date): 54.00 GPA (to date): 3.44
Status: Full-time Expected graduation date: Fall 2012
Resume
Marietta High school (2004-2008)
1171 Whitlock Avenue Marietta, GA 30064
(770) 428-2631
Diploma(s): International Baccalaureate and College Preparatory
GPA: 3.55 28 credits required. Graduated with 32.
The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) is a rigorous advanced studies program for
scholars reaching for higher goals in life. This program gave me the opportunity of being
able to select from a wide range of colleges, and to receive numerous grants and
scholarships.
Resume
EXPERIENCE
US Geological Survey
3039 Amwiler Road Suite 130 Atlanta, GA 30360
(770) 903-9100
May 2009 - Current
Administrative Assistant
Responsibilities: Responsible for moving government funds between multiple accounts. Manage payroll and property
management system. I manage time and attendance using QuickTime. Oversee vehicle maintenance for our 30
interior vehicles.
ACCOMPLISHMENT:
Created tip sheets for the administrative departments enabling employees to do our jobs quicker and with higher quality.
Kroger
1000 Whitlock Avenue Marietta, GA 30064
(770) 421-7676
October 2007 - May 2009
Front End Supervisor
Managed the front end of the store (cashiers, customer service and bagging clerks) 20 employees.. Made sure I was
available to employees when they needed help with a customer, adding money to their registers and relieving them
for breaks. Conducted biannual performance appraisals.
Took on special requests and customer concerns (500 per week).
Managed $2000+ in funds daily.
Resume
Bubbalini:
800 Whitlock Avenue Marietta, GA 30064
(678) 594-7770
August 2007 - October 2007
Head Hostess
Responsibilities: accountant for weekly sales, processed deliveries, greet and seat customers.
White Waters:
250 Cobb Parkway Marietta, GA 30062
(770) 948-9290
April 2007 - September 2007 (Seasonal Position)
Cashier and Server
Responsibilities: managed payments, provided customer service, overseeing budget and
accounting functions for $5000+ daily.
Resume
Sheltering Arms Daycare Center (infants - kindergarten)
1585 Roberta Drive Marietta, GA 30008
(770) 427-1926
May 2006 – August 2006 (Seasonal Position)
Teacher Aid
Responsibilities: provided child care for all ages, and head of the arts and crafts department.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Hands On Atlanta is a non-profit organization that helps individuals, families and corporate and community
groups find flexible volunteer opportunities to meet critical needs in schools, parks, senior homes, food
banks, pet shelters, low-income neighborhoods and more. Every month I prepare first aid and hygiene kits
for homeless shelters.
Juneteenth is a volunteer program hosted by Cobb Works every June. Proceeds from festivals are donated to
food banks. I help set up and manage funds.
Reflection
I entered Argosy University in the fall of 2008. Before I began any classes here, I had already expected to
learn a list of things pertaining to my passion of psychology. Little did I know, I’d be getting way more than I
Had planned to. Interpersonal Effectiveness, Interviewing Techniques and Diversity are three classes that I
Obtained a lot of knowledge from. These three classes I revert back to almost everyday when I am making a
decision. Before starting my degree, I must admit that I had poor interpersonal skills. This class helped me
improve on how I interact with others. Now more than ever I watch what I say to people and how I say it.
When I go for a job interview, I always look back over my work that I did while in interviewing techniques.
My notes remind me what and what not to say during an interview. Even when I am the interviewer, my notes
Have taught me not to lead people into their answer, but for them to come up with their own without my
guidance.
Diversity has to be the most inspiration class I took at Argosy. I learned things within the curriculum and
beyond. Before this class I was biases and judgmental towards a lot of things, and this class helped me to see
that everyone is different and that that’s what makes use all unique. We were able to discuss our personal
issues, which sort of persuaded me to trust people I had only known for about 8 weeks of my life.
What I can say about my experience overall, is that I have grown as a person. I have learned to think twice
before making any final decisions. This is just the first step of me becoming the psychologist I plan to be in the
near future.
Work Samples
Cognitive Abilities: For this
essay I touched on language
and decoding.
Cognition and Learning
Course Project: Connecting Cognition and Learning Theory
through Application
Course Code: PSY360
Submitted by: Kayeeshia Morris
Date: February 19, 2010
Work Samples
Communication Skills: Oral and Written: In a previous class
(Substance Abuse and the Family), I did some research
on marijuana. Here is a sneak peek of the interview I
had with a 15 year old boy who was at the time on probation
because of the drug. Not only was I able to present my written
Skills, but I also displayed my oral skills and
interviewing techniques.
Cannabis Q & A: Jamal
1. State your age and grade.
2. When I say a word, you tell me the first thing that pops into you head.
a. Weed.
b. Lung cancer.
c. Death.
3. Is smoking marijuana cool to you? Why?
4. What are some of your influences?
a. Peer pressure.
b. Household issues.
c. Not enough attention.
5. How long have you been smoking?
6. When did your smoking habit occur?
a. At home.
b. School.
c. Friend’s house.
7. Can you estimate how many times a week you smoke?
8. How does smoking make you feel?
9. When someone says, “Smoking weed is bad for you,” what is your response?
10. Marijuana can cause damage both mentally and physically. Mentally it can cause damage
to your respiratory system and cause you to lose focus in school, which can result in your
grades declining. Physically, you may have lip discoloration, unpleasant breath, body
odor, and slow reactions. What do you think of that?
11. Has your smoking affected your family?
12. Has your smoking caused conflict between you and school?
13. Has your abuse of marijuana got you into any trouble with the law?
14. Do you plan to stop and get help?
Work Samples
Research Skills: In a class called
Substance Abuse and the Family
I did research on marijuana abuse
and addiction. This by far has been
one of my best research projects. I
learned a lot from first hand users
of this drug.
Chapter 13
Work Samples
Ethics and diversity: this paper speaks on the diversity of
genders. Although male and females are different do to
the type of genital we have, we all do majority of the same
things. People tend to categorize EVERYTHING by what’s
masculine and what’s feminine.
Gender Roles
Week 7, Assignment 2
Kayeeshia Morris
1
When I think of gender roles, I think of what and what not each sex should do. Meaning
the differences of what a female can and cannot do versus a male. Even in the toy stores gender
plays a major role in how each toy is designed. For example, the media feeds us that humans
should look a certain way, dress a certain way, weigh a specific amount and act a certain way.
But this is not only the standard for us, but toys too. Just recently fashion shoe designer,
Christian Louboutin declared he is going to do a Barbie “redo.” He stated that she has cankles
(oversize or fat ankles), and that he wants to slim them down. Back in 1997, Mattel (the creators
of Barbie), widened the doll’s waist because mom’s felt that Barbie’s waist line was not realistic
to what everyone else views daily.
Personally I think Louboutin’s idea is crazy! He’s just adding to the stereotypes that are
already tagged along to Barbie’s name. When you walk in a toy store you rarely see “healthy”
doll figures or dolls with “pop” bellies, or obese dolls. Everyone just happens to be skinny,
which is not the truth in real society. In her 50 years of existence, Barbie has been criticized for
her unrealistic proportions, because little girls idolize her and want to look like her.
Male toys are judged too, because everyone is made out to be a robot, body builder, truck
driver or athlete. Not one do you see as a teacher, nurse or scientist because those would be
considered feminine toys. The stores and vendors even take it further when they create boy and
girl distinctive toy aisles; segregating which aisle is for whom. Usually if something is pink, it’s
for girls and if something is blue or black, it’s for boys.
Regarding gender role development children are exposed to many factors which
influence their attitudes and behaviors towards gender roles. These attitudes and behaviors are
generally learned in the home and are then reinforced by the child’s peers, school experience and
the media.
Below you will see personality traits regarded as stereotypically masculine and feminine
(Berk, 2000):
Work Samples
Interpersonal Effectiveness: Here is an essay I wrote in the
beginning of my enrollment. I talk about stress, my relationship
with my family, and other everyday stressors in my life.
Currently a major stressor in my life is time. I’m trying to juggle school, work, family,
my relationship, social life and individual private time. Twenty-four hours just doesn’t cut it for
me. Sometimes I’ll tell myself that there’s not enough time in a week for me to get things done
correctly and efficiently. I’m constantly trying to find ways to cram everything without having to
feel exhausted in the end.
Emotionally I feel like I’m losing more than what I’m gaining. Like I’m racing against a
moving clock I can’t catch up to. My self-esteem is fine until the things I try to accomplish don’t
get done. I either feel bad because I’ve rushed and everything is in shambles or I feel like I have
failed because I didn’t complete my task at all.
My relationship with my family is a lot better than the relationship I have with my
boyfriend. My family and friends comment sometimes that I don’t spend as much time with them
as I should. My boyfriend and I feel the same, but its worst. Over time we went from spending
five days a week together to spending one or two days a week together.
My physical health was pretty bad up until the end of last month. I was getting four to
five hours of sleep a day. I was eating take-out two and sometimes three times a day, all because
I was too tired to cook once I got home. I kept telling myself that I would get this done or that
done, and I would even give myself a deadline, but it just didn’t work. I was too tired and felt
like there just wasn’t enough time. At work during my lunch break (which is an hour), I’d sleep
rather than eat. I knew that once I would get home, I’d have more stuff to do so I’d sleep at work
just to have some energy once I got home.
I’m proud to say that I have begun finding ways to manage and deal with my time
stressor. My first step is not to stress. No matter how much I think the time is running out, I have
decided to not stress nor try to kill myself to get whatever it is I need to get done. The second
step I declared was to go to bed exactly at 10’o clock. I use to go to bed at midnight and then had
to wake up for work at 6:30AM. Just getting two extra hours of sleep has made my mornings
easier. I no longer sleep during my breaks and I feel much better than ever. My third step was
joining a gym. I work out the same three days a week for one hour each day. I stop eating out
but if and when I purchase a salad instead of something greasy and drink water instead of sodas.
I have also begun to rationalize my time amongst my friends, family and relationship. I’m
Work Samples
Foundations of Psychology: another paper where I discuss
psychology itself and what it’s made up of.
Cognition and Learning
Course Project: Connecting Cognition and Learning Theory
through Application
Course Code: PSY360
Submitted by: Kayeeshia Morris
Date: February 12, 2010
Review Paper
I recently did a paper in regards to bipolar disorder. My research was on how
noncompliance with treatment for bipolar depression can affect the family. I have come to learn
that bipolar is a long term prognosis. It’s not like a mild heart attack where you are able to get
immediate treatment, fully recover and your overall quality of life will remain unchanged. With
bipolar, every single time you go through an episode, it chips away at life and its expectations.
Do not allow yourself to suffer due to stigma or fear that you're taking something bad for you,
or that you are somehow weak because you need a medication. The fact that a patient is going
to a therapist tells others that they are trying to learn coping skills for their anxiety. Over time
those skills will get better and the patient may require less medication. By taking a medication
that is available to you and can correct a disorder doesn't make you weak - it makes you smart.
Suffering for no reason is not brave.
My Future in Learning
We all learn something new everyday, but it’s what we do with that information that really counts. I plan
to continue working towards my PhD in marriage/relationship counseling. Possibly up to a master’s degree in
family counseling. These two areas of counseling I have strong passions for. Not only will I achieve those
degrees, but I also hope to do a little teaching for both.
Some people say you loose a little knowledge as you get older, or you gain more knowledge. I just hope to
gain more knowledge – knowledge I can pass down to other upcoming psychologist.
Contact Me
Thank you for viewing my
ePortfolio.
For further information, please
contact me at the e-mail address
below.
