Student Committee


2024-2025

Description of Student Committee and Positions Available
IPA's Student Committee is a committee OF students FOR students! This committee develops specific activities to promote the involvement of student affiliates in IPA and promotes involvement by IPA members in the training and professional development of psychology students in Indiana.

Examples of IPA Student Committee initiatives include contributing to IPA publications (e.g., PsychBytes),providing updates for the Student section of IPA’s website with relevant information about the Student Committee, contributing to IPA’s Fall Conference organization, and hosting virtual student learning events (e.g. How'd You Get Your Job?, and the Internship Applications 101 and 102 events), among many others! Student Committee Members are strongly encouraged to become members of other IPA committees and spearhead their own original projects.

Indiana Schools Represented
Ball State University (BSU)
Indiana State University (ISU)
Indiana University Bloomington (IU)
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Purdue University
University of Indianapolis
University of Notre Dame

The Student Committee strives to have at least one Student Committee Member from every eligible graduate psychology program in Indiana and welcomes multiple students per program on the Student Committee.


How to Apply
If you are interested in getting involved with the Indiana Psychological Association Student Committee, please contact IPA at info@indianapsychology.org. Please include a brief statement of your interest in the IPA Student Committee as well as your CV. Interested persons should review the IPA Student Committee Code of Conduct, developed by the IPA Student Committee.

Student Committee Member Info
Maria Y. Fleischman (she/her/hers), MIT, MEd
Maria is a fourth-year PsyD student in clinical psychology at the University of Indianapolis with a concentration in Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine. After completing her Bachelors in Sociology, Masters in Teaching (MIT), and Masters of Education (M.Ed.) degrees at the University of Washington, Seattle, she worked as a special education teacher for 9 years. Maria has experience working in a university counseling center, Veteran Affairs (VA), neuropsychology private practice, and integrated primary care settings. She is an Army HPSP recipient and is excited to work as an Army psychologist after graduation. Her specific interests include military psychology, neurodivergence, mood disorders, and substance use disorders. 


Internship Match:  Brooke Army Medical Center, TX
 

 
Lindsey Fisher-Fox (she/her)
Lindsey Fisher-Fox is a second-year clinical psychology student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) with an emphasis on substance use. Lindsey earned a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Human Biology from Indiana University-Bloomington. Last year, she was awarded the NSF-GRFP fellowship. She is currently working on her master’s thesis investigating the predictive relationship between emotion dysregulation and negative and positive urgency (the tendency towards rash action when experiencing strong negative or positive emotional states) in adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, and playing with her two dogs.
Sydney Majka
Sydney Majka, B.A. is a master's student in Ball State's Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program who will be graduating this summer. In Fall 2023, Sydney will begin her doctoral degree (Ph.D) in Counseling Psychology at Ball State University. Sydney graduated from DePauw University in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology. While at Ball State, Sydney has investigated how attitudes and perceptions change towards individuals who cite a mental health excuse versus another type of excuse. In her doctoral program, Sydney hopes to continue conducting research on the impacts of health beliefs on psychological functioning. Sydney is currently interning at a university counseling center. In her doctoral program, Sydney hopes to gain clinical experience conducting assessments for ADHD and autism. When not studying or working with clients, Sydney enjoys spending time with friends and family, baking, reading, and watersports.
Sergio Maldonado Aguiñiga
Sergio Maldonado Aguiñiga, M.S. Ed., is of Mexican-descent born and raised in Southern California (Pomona and Fontana). He received his associate's degrees from Moreno Valley College and transferred to California State Polytechnic, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) where he obtained his B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Political Science and provided introductory to college courses within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and mentorship to parolees. Currently, he is a 5th year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Purdue University. His research commitment involves examining the therapeutic experiences (e.g., processes and outcomes) of the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated community to identify culturally-relevant practices that facilitates reentry post-incarceration. As a Spanish-English bilingual clinician, his clinical practice commitment involves providing therapeutic services to the Latino/a/x and economically marginalized communities in community-based settings. On the weekends, he enjoys listening to rancheras while making carne asadas. He also enjoys watching fútbol and boxing, and Franco Escamilla's stand-up specials. 


Internship Match:  Federal Correctional Institution, Long Beach, CA
Alexis Pandelios (she/her), M.S., Chair
Alexis Pandelios (she/her) is a fourth-year counseling psychology doctoral student at Indiana University-Bloomington studying under the mentorship of Dr. Joel Wong and Dr. Mary Waldron. Alexis has completed research projects focused on substance use initiation among Black American youth. Currently, Alexis’ research is focused on gratitude-based interventions for depression and interpersonal dynamics in gratitude exchanges. Currently, Alexis is serving as the Assistant Director of IU Bloomington’s Center for Human Growth where she provides counseling services and supervises masters and doctoral-level counseling students. Upon completion of her training, Alexis hopes to secure an academic position in a university setting. In her free time, Alexis enjoys running, baking, and reading in her hammock. 

Internship Match:  VA Salt Lake City, UT
Joseph Lee Twitdy
Joseph Twitdy, M.S., is a third-year doctoral student of clinical psychology at Indiana State University studying under Dr. Kevin Jordan. Joseph was born and educated in Indiana, being a lifelong Hoosier, earning his bachelors form Indiana State University, and recently his master’s degree. His current aspiration is to become a clinical health psychologist. Currently, Joseph conducts research with his advisor studying the impact that social and agency evaluations have on cardiovascular reactivity. Additionally, he currently works as a graduate clinician at ISU’s Psychology Clinic, and will be able to serve students during the upcoming 2021-2022 semester, at the University’s Student Counseling Center. Joseph currently teaches as an adjunct professor for one of ISU’s Health Psychology courses. His current research interest includes, cardiovascular reactivity (with a personal interest in the impact of the phenomenon of John Henryism), religiosity and spirituality, and mindfulness. To relax Joseph enjoys reading dystopian and utopian literature, attempting to learn a new language, talking with family and friends, playing games. 

Internship Match:  Madison VA, WI
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at IUPUI, specializing in Health Psychology. Michelle earned a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Educational Studies from the University of Florida. Her research interests include a) examining the relationship between mental health conditions and cardiometabolic diseases and b) exploring the potential of novel interventions (e.g., internet cognitive-behavioral therapy) to improve both mental and physical health outcomes in marginalized groups. In her free time, she enjoys reading, salsa dancing, and doing music covers.

Internship Match:  University of Chicago, IL