Steven Arriaza
Psychology and Business Administration
Vice President of Psi Chi:
International Honors Society for Psychology
From my first day at Minnesota State University I have been part of Psychology Club. Back then I did not fully know what area of psychology I would study but I was confident I had found the right field. The more classes I took the more interest I gained and the more I wanted to be involved. Sophomore year I was the treasurer of the club and I knew that I wanted to stay involved. As much as I enjoyed Psych Club, it was the research opportunity offered that most interested me. Once I had met the requirements I joined the International Society, or Psi Chi. My senior year I was elected to be the Vice President.
Taking a Chance on Leadership
As you may come to find out from my portfolio, research is for me a great passion. I recall a quote, first made famous by Sir Isaac Newton, that a psychology professor shared with me.
"If we are able to see further it is because we stand atop the shoulders of giants."
This passion and excitement was something that I wanted to convey to the members of Psi Chi. This particular year we had many new faces and varying degrees of research experience. It was difficult at first to not get carried away in the excitement of a new project, but I realized that I had been presented with a great opportunity to share my passion for research. I knew we were more than capable of completing our research, but I hoped that in the end we could gain a greater appreciation for the importance of research.
I thought back to the Strengthsfinder assessment I had taken in my first Honors class and two of my most prominent traits: Ideation and Intellection. If there is a perfect role for me to fill, I would like to think it is that of a researcher. However, my previous experiences had taught me to step beyond what was familiar. The position I held was a good balance between what was familiar and challenging. I was tasked with leading the research portion of our club meetings. At first, this involved small steps such as identifying people's interests and generating ideas. Later on it involved delegating tasks to individuals and groups and subsequently coming together to share our insights. Agreeing on a hypothesis and what questions to ask was an arduous process, but seeing like any good challenge it was always rewarding. Most rewarding, however, was reassuring others that there are always struggle in research. Each subsequent time hardships would occur, more people approached it with enthusiasms and greater perseverance.
Having studied Psychology during my undergraduate career, I have come across many theories of leadership, personality, and many others. I am sure I will come across many more. Countless data and applicability to a situation dictate the efficacy of one theory or another, but I am fortunate to have found my personal theory. Quite simply, I have learned to learn from others, to remain humble in what I do, to inspire and empower others, to learn the art of delegating, to never neglect the minutia, but most importantly, to not be afraid to lead.