1/11/12
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Heather Brazier '12 |
Life is full of surprises for
Heather Brazier ’12.
Brazier, a Mechanicsville, Virginia native, chose to major in
psychology because she thought it would complement her
education minor.
“Little did I know that I would end up falling in love with psychology,” she says. “Randolph-Macon College has a stellar psychology program.”
Brazier is a dedicated student who is very involved in campus life and student organizations.
She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Relay for Life, Panhellenic Women’s Council, Student Virginia Education Association, Rho Lambda Honor Society, Psi Chi, and Order of Omega Honor Society. A recipient of the Vincent Daniel
Scholarship, she was previously a recipient of the Richard Taylor Scholarship, the Starke Family Scholarship, the A. Judson Cobb Jr. Scholarship, and the F. & M. Childress Scholarship.
On December 9, 2011, the Psychology Department held its annual Research Symposium. For Brazier, the event was the culmination of many months of hard work.
“I presented my research from my Clinical Research Applications and Theoretical Systems (RATS) course and my Psychobiology Research Applications and Theoretical Systems course,” she explains. “For the Clinical RATS course I conducted research with three other students on personality traits among R-MC senior students and faculty in five
academic disciplines. For my Psychobiology RATS course I conducted research with two other students on five-week-old male rats. We researched the effects of rough-and-tumble play on social responsiveness. It was exciting to present my research to my peers and my professors.”
With the help of Brazier’s grant-application work, R-MC’s chapter of the Student Virginia Education Association (SVEA) was recently awarded a Community Learning Through America's Schools (CLASS) grant, funded by the National Education Association. The grant will be used to fund the Hanover Preschool Initiative, which will promote father involvement and healthy eating habits.
Brazier, whose cousins Maureen Raynor Ensor ’88 and Elizabeth Flack Rogers ’91 are R-MC alumnae, plans on becoming an elementary school teacher.
“I’m very excited,” she says. “I will student teach in spring 2012! After that, I hope to find a job near Ashland or Richmond. That would be ideal.”
Click on Student Experience to read more stories about R-MC students.