A Familiar Face Brings an Important Message Back to Her Alma Mater

On March 11, from 12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m. Psi Beta & Psych Club Guest Speaker Series will have a familiar face as its virtual guest speaker, QCC alumna Katie Berry. Her presentation, "Food and Alcohol Disturbance Among U.S. College Students: A Scoping Review," addresses disordered eating and problematic alcohol use that are primary health concerns on U.S. college campuses.

Ms. Berry received her Associate Degree in Psychology from QCC in 2018 and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Exercise and Sports Studies from Smith College in December of 2020. She will be starting a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program in the fall and is currently wrapping up the interview process.

She chose to focus her research on food and alcohol disturbance because it was a topic that she was interested in learning more about the relationship between disordered eating and alcohol use.

“It's also a relatively new phenomenon, so there are a lot of opportunities for future research, which is something that I find exciting,” she said.

Ms. Berry was an active student body member during her time at QCC. She was president of the Psi Beta and Psychology Club, as well as the Executive Director of Phi Theta Kappa's High School Mentoring Program.

“I fully immersed myself in several volunteer and community outreach opportunities both on and off-campus such as hosting a prom for the elderly, volunteering at a free medical clinic every Tuesday, and mentoring at-risk high school students. I also had the opportunity to become very involved in research and present my findings at the New England Psychological Association Conference,” she said, also noting that QCC prepared her for Smith College.

“QCC allowed me to learn more about who I am, what I'm passionate about, and develop an appreciation for my journey. Academically speaking, QCC also helped teach me how to think critically and analytically about my work, which made my transition to Smith College relatively easy.”

 While she has moved on from QCC, she has never forgotten her Wyvern roots and said she decided to do the upcoming virtual speaker presentation as a way to give back for all that the psychology club has done for her.

“I remember when I was still a student at QCC, I would always tell Psychology Professor Valarie Clemente that one day I'm going to come back to QCC and present my own research, so it's cool to see that this is finally happening,” she said. “I hope students will take away that community college can be a wonderful stepping stone, no matter what your dreams are! There is often a stigma surrounding community colleges, but I hope people will see that community college isn't something to be ashamed of, but, instead, it's something to be proud of because it's a launching pad for great success and a promising future!”

When asked what she would tell someone who was considering attending QCC, Ms. Berry was quick to reply.

“Do it! I sincerely loved my time at QCC and it fully prepared me for Smith College. I strongly believe that college is what you make of it, no matter where you go, so if you come to QCC and take advantage of all it has to offer I promise that you will have a bright future ahead of you!”

For Zoom information on this upcoming event, e-mail to Dr. Clemente at vclemente [at] qcc.mass.edu