By Grace Bolton, Staff Writer
In spring 2026, senior psychology major Jeffrey Master started a psychology club at Wheaton College after noticing a lack of community among students in the psychology department. Master hopes the club will support the psychology department, increase student involvement and connect students with faculty and professionals.
“The Psychology Department, in particular, needs more support in helping students find internships and research opportunities,” said Master. “I hope eventually the psychology club can partner with the CVC to equip students with the tools they actually need on their resumes and transcripts in order to get into prestigious graduate schools.”
Annie Aukerman, a senior double majoring in psychology and Christian formation and ministry (CFM), served as co-president in spring 2026 before becoming president this year. Aukerman’s vocational goals include pursuing a master’s degree in social work after Wheaton.
For Aukerman, the club provides a space for those in the psychology department to build relationships beyond simply seeing each other in class.
“Within psychology, I’ve just had this want and desire for people to get to know each other more,” Aukerman said.
Aukerman said these relationships can help students build professional connections, find support, discern their vocational goals and navigate their academic experience.
“Psychology is a career that I think you really need to know other people in the field and have other people to lean on and talk about things with,” Aukerman said.
Caleb Henderson, a senior psychology major, served as the club’s recruitment director last year and was part of the original cabinet in spring 2026. He said personal connections can be especially important in getting students involved.
“People are much more likely to join when they feel like they’re being invited into an actual community rather than just another thing to add to their schedule,” Henderson said.
The club has sought to create a welcoming, low-commitment space through both social and academic events. Last spring, members helped plan the department chapel, hosted an “Inside Out” watch party and planned a pickleball night for students to socialize.
The club also provides opportunities to discuss how psychology connects with Christian faith, a topic Henderson said is particularly relevant at Wheaton.
“At Wheaton, I think there are some really interesting conversations to have about how psychology connects with our faith and how we understand and care for people,” Henderson said.
Similarly, Aukerman said the club provides space for students to consider psychology from both scientific and Christian perspectives.
“It’s just so interesting to combine the worlds of science and faith,” Aukerman said. “The world is slowly finding out that faith encourages science and science encourages faith.”
This year, the club participated in the Mastodon March and hosted a “Why Psychology?” panel featuring two professors and two graduate students. The panel brought approximately 20 students from all four undergraduate class years. Students asked questions about graduate programs, undergraduate research and different areas of psychology.
Hannah Havens, a senior psychology major and a member of this year’s cabinet, looks forward to the community the club will foster within the psychology department, particularly for students who have few opportunities to connect outside the classroom.
“I am most looking forward to uniting the psychology department as a whole,” Havens said. “For those who have a major or a minor, there has been a disconnect, but we hope this is a space for people to connect and relate to one another.”
