HIGH POINT, N.C., July 7, 2015 – High Point University junior Alexus Ford is involved in planning the largest gathering of psychologists in the world through her summer internship. The psychology major and Silver Spring, Maryland, native is working at the American Psychological Association and is currently planning the annual convention, which will bring up to 14,000 attendees to Toronto in August.
Ford’s internship at the APA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., is teaching her about the various areas of specialization within the field of psychology and opening up networking opportunities as she pursues her future career.
She currently works in the Convention Office, where her responsibilities include organizing the programs and activities that will be offered at the convention and providing assistance to attendees.
“I aspire to become a clinical counselor and want to counsel young children to adolescents,” she says. “My internship in the convention office is giving me insight into the different topics in the psychology field that I might want to explore later on.”
Ford previously interned with the APA’s Undergraduate and Precollege Education Directorate. She says her preparation at HPU has honed skills she needs to contribute at the professional level.
“While working in the education directorate I had to help a colleague research material for a paper,” she says. “HPU prepared me for this by professors assigning research projects and also involving me in assisting with their research. Now, my internships are giving me guidance on the steps I’ll need to take to complete my education in psychology.”