Psychology Pathways Summer Internship Scholarship

Psychology Pathways Scholarship (PPS) is a fund sponsored by Temple’s Department of Psychology & Neuroscience that provides three undergraduate students studying psychology a scholarship of $2000 each for completing an otherwise unpaid internship during the summer. The PPS is a subset of the Pathways to Professions Summer Internship Award Program and follows all the same program policies, criteria, and application instructions. 

2024 Recipients

Claudia Goldman, Psychology ’25

Claudia (they/she) interned virtually with Woodhull Freedom Foundation, based in Jenkintown, PA. Woodhull is an organization that fights for sexual freedom through education and advocacy. They work on decreasing censorship and discrimination that limits people’s ability to freely express their gender and sexual identities, protecting sexual health and reproductive freedom, combatting sexual violence, and more.

Claudia’s main job was to create infographics for Woodhull’s social media. They would be given information on the event or topic they wanted to promote, and then would design a post with one to six slides. In addition to social media, Claudia also helped Woodhull with some preliminary research. On their website they have a series of articles called Fact Checked by Woodhull in which they debunk common misconceptions about sexuality. Claudia helped gather sources for an article challenging the idea that sex work is a direct cause of human trafficking.

Claudia said the following:

I’m proud of the post I created about sexual freedom and disability justice. Two years ago, I took a class at Temple called “Sexuality and Disability,” where I learned about the unique experiences disabled people have with sexual education, expression, and pleasure. July is Disability Pride Month, so I proposed that Woodhull make a post about this intersection. Using what I learned from class, I designed a five-slide post discussing how disabled people are less likely to receive comprehensive sexual education, leading to an increased risk of STIs and unwanted pregnancy, greater susceptibility to sexual abuse, and inability to make informed decisions about health, reproduction, and pleasure. On the final slide, I spoke about what sexual freedom looks like for disabled people: legal protections affirming the right to makes one’s own health decisions, accessible education, confidential discussions with healthcare providers, and accommodations such as sexual mobility aids and accessible sex toys. As someone who is neurodivergent, I know firsthand how disability can add an extra layer of complexity to sexuality. It means a lot to me that I was able to use Woodhull’s platform to discuss something that so often gets overlooked in conversations that focus separately on sexuality or disability. financial help from the Psychology Pathways Scholarship, I was able to do something helpful for my career during the summer and not worry about money. It was amazing to have the feeling that I am building my skill set for the future.

Noa Ben-David, Psychology ‘25

Noa (she/her) interned with Child Guidance Resource Centers (CGRC) located in Havertown, PA. CGRC provides accessible mental health care to five counties in southeast Pennsylvania. It includes 550+ therapists and experts leading 28 programs to support each member of a family. CGRC provides five mental health services focusing on adult services, Autism, early childhood, general mental health, and school issues.

Noa’s work focused on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to families with children on the Autism Spectrum. She collected data while conducting observational research on individual children enrolled in the summer ABA and play program at CGRC, as well as learning how to apply behavioral analysis methodically. Her favorite part was collecting observational data. It gave Noa a chance to really put her skills to practice. The experience also made her realize that she wanted to further her career in ABA in the future and continue to work with children on the Autism Spectrum.

Noa said the following:

I am very proud of myself as a psychology major for I proved myself in the real world that this field is truly where I am supposed to be. This internship gave me an opportunity to practice something I love, and helped build my confidence along the way. I got offered a job at the end of my internship. My advice to other students is to not give up on finding your dream internship and be open to internships you never heard of prior because it could ultimately become your dream internship.

Abby McFadyen, Psychology ‘25

Abby (she/her) interned with Justice Resource Institute (JSI), a leader in social justice, with over 100 diverse programs meeting the needs of underserved individuals, families and communities. They provide an array of innovative and evidence-based outpatient mental health services throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. All of JRI’s Behavioral Health Centers and Trauma Services use intervention methods aimed to meet the unique needs of children, adults, and families.

Abby worked in their Total Achievement Program at the New Bedford, Massachusetts office, a therapeutic afterschool program dedicated to enhancing the social skills of children ages 6-12 with complex emotional or behavioral needs. She assisted staff in running group therapy, activities, and supported clients with behavioral challenges by enforcing positive behaviors. Her favorite part of the internship was seeing the clients meet their goals, and being part of their experience as they grow & make positive progress. The experience helped her obtain skills working with children in a therapeutic setting. It also helped her realize she enjoys working with the Bedford community.

Abby said the following:

A lot of the behaviors I observed of clients were understood through the knowledge I learned from my psychology classes. I was able to understand the root causes of why clients’ behaviors happen & what coping strategies can be applied to support them. I am grateful to have worked with an amazing team of staff in a welcoming & supportive environment. I learned so much from each of them & will cherish my experiences working with them.