Annual prize recognizes outstanding writing in psychology
Each year, the Department of Psychology honors students who have demonstrated exceptional writing skills in the field with the Alfred C. Raphelson Prize. Honorees receive a $100 award and a plaque commemorating their achievement. Additionally, their work will be shared with future students as exemplary models of outstanding academic writing in the field of psychology.
While the awards committee typically selects one or two students for this recognition, the 2025 committee chose three students this year due to the exceptional quality of the submissions. Read on to learn about this year’s winners.
Madison Galusha
Effects of Face-to-Face Ostracism on Obedience
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Karen Bedell
“Receiving this award not only symbolizes hard work paid off, but also serves as an inspiration to continue striving for the opportunities that seem unattainable and to my future endeavors that I hope to achieve. I am honored.”
Peyton M. Lajewski
Hypersexual Disorder: A Critical Review of an Emerging Clinical Diagnosis
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nia Billings
“Being selected as one of this year’s winners is meaningful to me because it recognizes the importance of addressing complex and often stigmatized topics with clarity, empathy, and academic rigor. This recognition reinforces my commitment to shedding light on under-discussed issues in the field of mental health and sexuality.”
Kendall Norum
Reducing Vaping in Young Adults: A Behavior Modification Approach Guided by the Transtheoretical Model
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tom Wrobel
“‘For you don’t know now, but later you will understand,’ John 13:7. You truly never know what will happen until you try, and you are capable of more than you think. I am so honored to be a recipient of this year’s Raphelson Prize.”
“We are proud of Madison, Peyton, and Kendall. Each of them produced thoughtful, well-crafted papers that reflect the kind of engagement we hope to foster in our students,” shared Dr. Yael Sela, chair of the Department of Psychology. “Their work stood out not only for its clarity and rigor, but also for its relevance to real-world issues in psychology. We are also grateful to their faculty sponsors, whose guidance supported the development of these projects. The Alfred C. Raphelson Prize was created to highlight outstanding undergraduate writing in psychology, and this year’s winners exemplify that standard. It is a pleasure to recognize students who take their work seriously and rise to the expectations set in the classroom.”
