Dear Students,
Happy 2022! Happy Spring semester! Welcome to our newest students and welcome back to our continuing ones. We are grateful to be starting another year of teaching and learning with all of you.
I hope you got some break over the break. For my part, I celebrated the holidays with family in Brooklyn and in West Virginia, read one book for fun and one for work, saw two movies in the theater, took many rapid COVID tests, played pickup basketball and Ultimate frisbee, went to the dentist, scouted legit KN95 masks, and developed a delicious but unsustainable habit of binge napping.
I didn’t go anywhere tropical or even new and I didn’t accomplish anything particularly tangible, but I felt keenly appreciative of the down time and for the break from constant pressure to be “on top of things.” Last year was a lot for all of us and I am hoping you also were able to recharge and refresh in any way possible, even if only briefly.
We have a lot to look forward to this semester. We will be back in person together on campus very soon. I am teaching on one of my favorite holidays this year, Valentine’s Day – dorky, I know – but it means chocolate giveaways in the classroom. There will be great OHDCC events and a student/faculty mixer as soon as we can organize it safely. Before too long, spring will come to New York City and it will be beautiful. And, with spring, comes Spring Break! Some of you will be preparing for graduation, which will be a huge accomplishment and a joyous occasion! (We have had no word yet on whether graduation will be in-person, on-line or hybrid; I promise to share any news ASAP.)
These weeks and months will pass quickly and it will be May before any of us can believe it. Taking the advice of my faculty colleague, Dr. Debra Noumair, I invite you to roll the clock forward. Imagine it is the last day of the Spring semester, May 9, 2022. What do you want to be able to say about what you accomplished this term? What you learned? How you engaged and with whom? How you felt? How you changed? Then imagine how you might make that happen. Be intentional and specific. Write it down. Tell a friend. Share what you are hoping to achieve and how you will go about it with any of us in the S-OP community. We are at the ready to offer wisdom, ideas, support, connections (and comic relief!) during these still challenging times. Reach out to any S-OP staff or faculty member if you need help or just to say hello. We are looking forward to seeing you in Everett Café, in Russell Courtyard, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, in the classroom and on Zoom too. Here’s to a great semester together!
Warmly,
Sarah J. Brazaitis, Ph.D.
MA Program Director
Current Student Profile
Daniel Vigeant
Dan Vigeant is completing his final semester as a student in the Social-Organizational Psychology M.A. Program and as a member of the Eisenhower Leader Development Program (ELDP) at West Point. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate from Arizona State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Minor in Military Leadership. Dan commissioned as an Army Officer through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) in 2014. Prior to commissioning, he served ten years as an enlisted UH-60A/L Blackhawk mechanic/crew chief and deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Dan is currently an Army Aviation officer qualified in the AH-64D Apache helicopter. Additionally, he has been stationed in 9 states and 2 countries throughout his 18-year military career. His last assignment prior to West Point was as an Attack Aviation company commander in Ansbach, Germany. After graduation from Teachers College, Dan will serve as a Tactical Officer at the United States Military Academy (USMA). In this role, he will act as the primary leader developer of cadets, assisting them in balancing and integrating academic, character, physical, and military requirements.
Dan is thrilled to be part of Teachers College and the Social-Organizational Psychology Program. He is passionate about quality leadership, group dynamics, and organizational culture and will integrate the program curricula with his Army experience to positively influence future organizations. He is confident that the insights gained at Teachers College will holistically prepare him to implement effective and practical solutions at the individual, group, and organizational levels.
When not at school or work, Dan enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his family and new puppy. He is married to the former Cheric Babb and together they have three children.
Alumni Profile
Afua Donkor
Afua Donkor is a 2018 graduate of M.A. program, which was a major goal of hers since she first immigrated to the United States from Ghana. Prior to attending the program, she earned a B.S. in Integrative Neuroscience from SUNY Binghamton, where she first discovered her passion for serving people.
After graduating from TC, Afua joined Reddit, where she worked as a Human Resource Business Partner to lead DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and Learning & Development initiatives. Currently, Afua is the Program Manager of Diversity Inclusion & Belonging where she has defined behaviors of inclusion for the organization and works to create a culture where employees are seen, heard and valued. She also partners closely with the company’s Employees Resource Groups and their Executive Sponsors to help promote a diverse and inclusive workplace. Prior to joining Reddit, she cut her teeth in HR by leading teams at Target.
Afua's passion for people translates to her personal life where she can often be found supporting her community's social justice efforts.
You can connect with Afua on LinkedIn.
Recommended Readings
A friend once confessed to me that she had “the attention span of a gnat.” I feel like that sometimes and even more so in the pandemic. This article talks about the systemic pressures that degrade our ability to concentrate and offers tips on how to mitigate them.
Did you make New Year’s resolutions? They can be hard to keep by February. This piece discusses the science behind sticking to new goals.