Victoria LeCroy Wins Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Award

VALDOSTA — Victoria LeCroy’s "Investigation of Hiring Bias Against Individuals with LGBT Involvement on Resumes" won the Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology Undergraduate Research Award at the Southeastern Psychological Association’s 64^th annual meeting in Charleston, South Carolina.

LeCroy is a student in Valdosta State University’s Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy and expects to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in psychology in Fall 2019. 

“The purpose of this study was to investigate how gay-lesbian affiliations and involvement on resumes affected hypothetical hiring decisions,” she explained. “In addition to studying the likelihood of receiving a job, the study also focused on how Caucasians and African Americans viewed prospective employees that willingly disclosed lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender involvement.”

LeCroy said that winning the Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology Undergraduate Research Award was “beyond exciting” and “life-changing.”

“Before presenting at the Southeastern Psychological Association annual meeting, I questioned the likeability of my research study,” she shared. “Because of the stigma that is often attached to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, I feared that my research would be disfavored. To my surprise, it was appreciated and respected by professors and students, alike. Receiving supportive feedback was the most empowering and inspirational experience, especially in regards to my future research topics.

“Presenting at the Southeastern Psychological Association annual meeting taught me to never underestimate myself and to be unrelenting in pursuing my passions.” 

 Dr. Joshua S. Rodefer, an assistant professor in VSU’s Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy, guided LeCroy’s research.

Throughout the four-day Southeastern Psychological Association annual meeting, LeCroy had an opportunity to attend a variety of workshops, paper and poster presentations, social activities, conversation hours, panel discussions, expert speaker events, symposia, and more with professionals and other undergraduate and graduate psychology students from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and beyond.

Founded in 1955, the Southeastern Psychological Association is committed to advancing psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare. Its mission is to stimulate the exchange of scientific and professional ideas across the diverse areas of psychological inquiry and application.

The professional members of the Southeastern Psychological Association hold positions in a variety of settings, such as universities, colleges, business and industry, hospitals and clinics, government, and private practice. In these and other settings, they teach, conduct research, engage in psychological assessment and therapy, serve as administrators and consultants, and publish scholarly works on all aspects of the human experience.

The student members of the Southeastern Psychological Association reflect the varied interests of their mentors in the behavioral sciences, from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations.

LeCroy is an active member of the Psychology Club, Golden Key International Honour Society, Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology, and Kappa Delta Pi: International Honor Society in Education at VSU. She works in the Developmental and Human Factors Laboratory led by Dr. Charles Talor, an associate professor in VSU’s Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy, and in the Addictive Behaviors Laboratory led by Rodefer. She has been repeatedly recognized for academic achievement by being placed on the Dean’s List.

LeCroy enjoys volunteering at South Georgia Medical Center and Jacobs’ Ladder Therapeutic Riding Center Inc., a nonprofit committed to helping children and adults with special needs strengthen their physical bodies, build their self-esteem, gain a sense of independence, learn new skills, and make new friends through equine therapy. She is the daughter of James and Marilyn LeCroy of Lavonia, Georgia.

On the Web:

https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/education/pcft/

http://www.sepaonline.com/index.htm