MA Information
Ambassadors
Michael Levy
Graduate Ambassador
Email: michael.levy@tc.edu
Melanie Blair
Graduate Ambassador
Email: melanie.blair@tc.edu
Background & Philosophy
Michael Levy is a second year Master's student in the Clinical Psychology program at Columbia's Teachers College. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated as a University Honors Scholar Magna Cum Laude from New York University where he designed his own major focusing on Psychology and Child and Adolescent Mental Health. He is currently pursuing his M.A. in Psychology in Education with a concentration in Child and Family Studies. Michael has research experience in the field of child and adolescent mental health, helping to execute projects exploring effective teacher-child interactions, communication patterns in children with selective mutism, and social skills in college aged individuals on the autism spectrum. Michael also has research interests in the areas of LGBT mental health, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Besides pursuing his M.A. at Columbia, Michael is also a pre-school teacher.
The Role of the MA Program Ambassador as I See It:
To me, the job of ambassador is about accurately representing the student body while acting as a liaison to the administration to foster a rich and rewarding community, curriculum, and program. Combining my current individual experiences as a student as well as the collective perspective of my peers, I am confident in answering questions new or current students might pose about the program or general questions about professional development. In addition, I feel the program ambassador should be available to help students reach their full potential and take advantage of the incredibly diverse resources provided to the student body at Teachers College. By helping to disseminate relevant information pertaining to local mental health events as well as relevant information about any new academia within the program, my hope is that I will help the MA program bring you one step closer to actualizing your professional and academic goals.
Melanie Blair is a second year Master's student in the Clinical Psychology program at Columbia's Teachers College. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with her B.A. in psychology from University of Maryland in 2011. In her undergraduate years, she did research at the Olin Neuropsychiatric Research Center on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, psychotherapy research at the Maryland Psychotherapy Clinic and Research Lab and drug/alcohol behavior in college students at the Center for Personality, Addiction and Emotion Research. Throughout college, she volunteered at University of Maryland's Peer Counseling and Crisis Intervention Hotline, the Help Center. In her time at Teachers College, she has been involved in research with Dr. Barry Farber's lab on how new technologies affect interpersonal relationships. She also works as Program Coordinator for the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, a growing research organization dedicated to better understanding the life stage of ages 18-29.
The Role of the MA Program Ambassador as I See It:
I view the role of Ambassador as a liaison between department administrators and the students, working to make student's progression through the program as valuable an experience as possible. I see the Master's program as an ideal time to clarify one's career path for the future. Thus, I want to help promote the many opportunities within Teachers College and around New York so students can take full advantage of their time here. I will use my position as Ambassador to be a source of knowledge and support to students as they explore their academic and professional interests.
Graduate Ambassadors Alumni