IMPORTANT NEWS AND EVENTS

At the beginning of each month, this section will post important news and events pertaining to AAPA students, such as professional opportunities, awards and grants, and current literature in Asian American psychology.

August 2008

Division of Students 2008 Student Awards
Congratulations to Paul Wang, Chee Chan, and John Tawa for receiving the first ever DoS Student Awards! These students were selected from a competitive number of applicants. DoS will honor their achievements at the AAPA Awards Banquet in Boston.

Division of Students Events at AAPA Conference
Please join us in attending the following DoS-sponsored events at the 2008 AAPA Conference:
T-Shirt Fund Raiser (All Day). DoS will be selling AAPA logo t-shirts for $15 at the conference. The fundraiser will be held at the Booksale.
Business Meeting (12:15PM). DoS will recap another eventful year of being a part of the best organization in the world. This meeting is a must for students who’d like to get more involved with AAPA.
Mentor Reception (5PM). Attention all students! Here’s your opportunity to connect with mentors and gain guidance on various facets of your professional journey.
Awards Ceremony (6:45PM). Please join us in congratulating Paul Wang, Chee Chan, and John Tawa for being selected to receive the first ever DoS Awards. The ceremony will be held at the Awards Banquet.

AAPA 2008 Conference. The conference is right around the corner! Here are some conference related news:
Schedule. Download the complete conference schedule here.
Registration Closure. Due to overwhelming demand and our limited room capacity, registration for the convention and banquet has now CLOSED.  We will also no longer be accepting on-site registration.  We apologize for any inconvenience and we look hope to see you at future conventions.  
Conference Shuttle Service. To make your travel to the convention easier, AAPA will be offering shuttle service from the Boston Marriot Copley Place Hotel, one of the APA main convention hotels. The Marriot is located at 110 Huntington Ave. and is easily reached by public transportation.  The nearest "T" stop is Back Bay on the Orange Line and Copley on the Green Line.  A bus will depart from the main driveway of the Marriot at 7:45am sharp and will travel directly to the convention site at UMass Boston for arrival by 8:30am. Look for the bus labeled AAPA.

Student Volunteer Opportunity. Patricia Lee (happyleep@yahoo.com) and Matthew Lee (leem4@ohio.edu), Volunteer Coordinators for the AAPA conference would like to invite you to become student volunteers. We currently need volunteers to help with staffing different aspects of the annual conference, including the registration table, the book sale, the mentor-mentee lunch, and the awesome AAPA Awards Banquet. If you are interested in volunteering, you may have already ticked the box on the online registration form, however if you missed the box or would still like to volunteer, please send both of us your name and email contact information.

AAPA 2008 Convention Book Promotion. AAPA members who have published books in the immediate past year (August 1, 2007 to August 1, 2008) that are primarily about Asian Americans or Asian American psychology are invited to have their contributions featured at the convention. For further inquiries, please contact Conference Co-Chairs Doris Chang (changd@newschool.edu) or Grace Kim (grace_kim1@yahoo.com). 

Current Literature in Asian American Psychology. As a resource for students, a listing of articles using “Asian American” as a PsycInfo keyword will be provided each month. The following articles are from June 2008:

Kawabata, Y., & Crick, N. R. (2008). The role of cross-racial/ethnic friendships in social adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 44(4), 1177-1183.

Tsai-Chae, A. H., & Nagata, D. K. (2008). Asian values and perceptions of intergenerational family conflict among asian american students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14(3), 205-214.

I am honored to be elected the 2006-2008 AAPA Student Representative and Board Member. I hope that during my term I can represent the needs of AAPA students in efforts to solidify our vision of student solidarity, connection, representation, mentorship and development. AAPA has always been a welcome home for students. In my experience the AAPA executive committee has worked hard to meet the needs of students so that students can grow to become the future of our profession and community. We are fortunate to be surrounded by many brilliant and inspiring professionals, whether that is in the area of research, practice, or advocacy. In return, I hope that I too can contribute to that vision and the development of future students. I will do my very best to continue the great contributions made by my predecessors, much of which we have the fortunate opportunity to build upon and gain from their respective wisdoms and experiences.  

As Student Representative, I plan to continue the work started by those who have come before me. For instance, my main objective during my term was to solidify the foundation and functioning of the recently formed Division of Students (DoS). Through the Division we have already made many great strides due to the hard efforts and dedication of the DoS executive committee. For instance we are working on the following: (i) to serve as a support system and resource for all AAPA students, (ii) to provide and solidify a mentoring program that extends beyond the mentoring opportunities and connections formed at the national annual AAPA convention, (iii) to provide funding and recognition to student achievements in the form of awards that will be announced on an annual basis at the convention in three main areas (Leadership, Service & Advcacy), (iv) to develop the student section of the website so that the visibility of students is extended and so that the website is more useful for all AAPA students from all areas of the profession, (v) to provide an easier and use friendly approach for students to gain access to and to disseminate information relevant to student issues in the form of the AAPADoS listserv, and (vi) to give back to the community in the form of fund raisers on an annual basis. My hope is that each of these endeavors will provide various opportunities for students to get involved in and to connect with the larger association. Each of these efforts can also provide students with the foundation and springboard towards making their own marks in their career with the comfort of knowing that there will always be this safe home base of supporters.    

My commitment is to foster the student community and to focus on the well-being of student members. The formation of the Division illustrates AAPA's commitment to its student members and its responsiveness to our needs. I urge you to take advantage of these various opportunities and feel free to take ownership of the division, the website, and the listserv as a vehicle of getting involved.

My visions and ability to serve this position well is only as good as your participation will allow. I welcome your ideas, suggestions, and feedback. Your voice is important and I'm here to serve you. Please do not hesitate to contact me. This community is ours to build together!

Arpana “Annie” Gupta, M.Ed.

Student Spotlight