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Tracy Berens
By Renata Daconti, a freshman majoring in human biology. She is a member of Presidential Honors Society, Optometry Club and Environmental Task Force.
 Tracy Berens:
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Major: Psychology
Career plans: Educate the public about safe sex
Expectations...
�I was really surprised when I got to UAlbany. I guess I was a little naive to think that �Oh, it�s a state school, it�s not going to be so great, but when I got here, I realized this is a great education and I am not going to be broke for the rest of my life trying to pay it off.�
Influences in choosing your major...
�At first I thought I was going to be pre-med, but after I took the chemistry class, I realized that there was no way that I was going to make it through organic chemistry and classes like that. So, I took �Introduction to Psychology.� Then in my second semester I took �The Psychology of Human Sexuality� and that was pretty much the determining factor for me becoming a psychology major.�
Life changing moments...
�Well, 9/11 had a really big impact on me, because my fianc�e is in the military and that affected where he gets stationed and the rest of our lives. I guess it was kind of a reality check for me, because living in this country, I thought that everything was so safe and I was not affected by anything going on in the world. But then I realized �Yes, you are affected.� �
Culture shock...
�People at UAlbany are so different from people back home and yet so much the same. I�d walk around campus and be like �oh, did I go to high school with them? No, they just look the same.� Then I met people in my freshman year dorm who were different than anyone I�ve ever known before. The diversity on this campus was a culture shock for me.�
Professional, Personal and Social Growth...
�...I�ve come into contact and interacted with so many different people and that�s how I grew socially. I did a lot of public speaking and publications which really helped me a lot. I was very shy and introverted when I got here. But there were people here who helped me grow so much, like Carol Stenger at the Health Center -- she has really influenced who I want to be and what I want to do. She has been a real mentor for me.�
Carol Stenger had good things to say about Tracy as well. �Tracy has been a dedicated member of my Project SHAPE: Sexual Health & Peer Education program for two years. It has been a true pleasure to work with her. She is a bright, talented, well-rounded young woman who strives for excellence in all she does. She is always my top choice as a co-presenter because she exudes a level of confidence and poise well beyond her years.�
Public speaking experience...
�I had lots of much-needed public speaking experience through Project SHAPE, talking to undergrads about HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and other issues dealing with sexuality. Once you�ve demonstrated the use of a latex condom on a life-like, plastic, human phallus in front of 200 students, you pretty much get over your fears of speaking in front of people!�
Favorite professor...
��Gordon Gallup in the Psychology department. He is just so enthusiastic about the work he does and the field he is in. It�s really motivating. When you hear someone talk, who�s really intrigued with what that they are researching, it makes you sit up in your chair and say �wow, I wonder what he is going to say next.� He�s an awesome professor.�
�I have nothing but praise for Tracy,� said Gallup. �She is a superb student. Tracy is bright, hard working, and very conscientious. She is finishing her honors thesis under my direction, and it promises to be an important, potentially influential research project with important practical as well as theoretical implications.�
Accomplishments...
Tracy is a Presidential Scholar in the Psychology program, a member of the Presidential Honors Society, member of Project SHAPE, secretary of the National Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi), member of Dr. Gallup�s evolutionary psychology lab, an athletic academic tutor, and a teaching assistant at a Human Sexuality Class.
What the future holds for Tracy...
This coming June, she will marry her high school sweetheart. Then she plans to go on to graduate school at Widener University in Philadelphia in the Human Sexuality Education program. After that, she will move to North Carolina to live with her husband at Fort Bragg. She plans to educate young adults and teenagers about safe sex.
Advice for freshman...
�Get involved, talk to professors to find out what is available to you. If you want to find your way and make a name for yourself, you really have to push for it and talk to professors and introduce yourself. Show that you are interested.�
UAlbany resources...
�There are hundreds of clubs and organizations. If you have an interest that no one has organized before you can find others interested and make your own club. Also, there are all kinds of scholarship opportunities that are not widely known. So, if you just talk to people who are in your area of interest they can let you know about special opportunities: studying abroad, going on trips, scholarships and grants, research opportunities.�
In her own words --three (busy!) days in the life of senior, Tracy Berens�
Wednesday, April 14th.
Tonight we had a Psi Chi meeting. Our president couldn't be there, so the vice president and I had to step in and lead the meeting. Our inductions ceremony is coming up this weekend, and there are lots of things to do to get ready for that day. We have a rehearsal on Friday to practice the timeline and get our speeches straightened out. At the meeting tonight, there was also a speaker panel of graduate students there to talk to undergrads about attending graduate school. They were all from the UAlbany Psychology Department, in different fields of psychology, including cognitive, clinical and social psychology. They had lots of information for us, although most was too late for me, as I've already applied. I'm hoping to hear from Widener University in the next couple of weeks. They are taking much longer than I'd expected to get back to me, but I hear the same thing from other grad school-hopefuls as well. The meeting went well and I think everyone is looking forward to the inductions ceremony.
Thursday,
April
15th.
Tonight
I
handed
out
questionnaires
as
part
of
my
research
study
for
my
honors
thesis.
I
went
into
one
of
the
undergraduate
psychology
classes
and
asked
the
students
to
fill
out
a
quick,
15
minute
survey.
Unfortunately,
since
I
couldn't
offer
extra
credit
for
doing
it,
most
of
the
students
left
and
I
only
got
a
handful
of
participants.
Hopefully,
tomorrow
and
next
week
when
I
ask
for
participants,
more
people
will
stick
around
and
help
me
out.
Then
I'll
be
able
to
input
my
data
and
run
statistical
analysis
and
see
if
any
of
the
results
are
significant.
I
only
have
2
weeks
until
I'm
scheduled
to
present
this
project,
and
I
got
a
really
late
start,
so
we'll
see
if
I'm
able
to
finish
in
time.
I
had
a
few
other
projects
started,
but
none
of
them
worked
out
so
I've
had
to
start
over
again.
This
will
be
my
last
attempt
at
completing
my
honors
thesis.
Even
if
I
don't
get
it
done,
I've
learned
a
lot
in
the
process,
namely,
that
research
is
not
for
me.
Friday,
April
16th.
This
morning
I
went
into
another
psychology
class
to
collect
more
data.
Again,
only
a
few
people
stayed
to
fill
out
the
questionnaire.
Hopefully,
we'll
have
more
luck
next
week.
Today's
lab
meeting
went
well.
We
talked
about
the
poster
presentations
that
some
of
the
lab
members
will
be
giving
at
a
conference
in
Scranton,
Pennsylvania
in
another
week.
We
went
over
a
power
point
presentation
of
one
of
the
grad
students
and
gave
her
ideas
and
suggestions
for
how
she
could
improve
the
presentation.
One
of
the
presentations
at
the
conference
is
on
a
study
I
worked
on
in
the
lab
with
the
grad
students
and
a
few
undergrads.
It's
exciting
to
be
an
author
on
a
poster
that
will
be
presented
at
a
conference.
Another
good
thing
to
put
on
a
curriculum
vitae.
I
had
to
leave
the
lab
meeting
early
to
go
TA.
I
am
the
teaching
assistant
for
the
undergraduate
psychology
of
human
sexuality
class.
We
are
giving
an
exam
on
Monday,
so
I'm
sure
some
students
will
want
to
ask
questions
before
class
begins.
I
really
enjoy
TA-ing.
It's
nice
to
meet
students
who
are
interested
in
the
same
things
as
me. |
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