SPSSI United Nations NGO Team Intern Experiences

Dr. Esther Burson

• I am currently a first-year Assistant Professor of Psychology at Smith College, where I teach courses on Research Methods, Adolescence, and Sociopolitical Development.
• I have fond memories of attending SPSSI 2018 in Pittsburgh to join David on a panel about SPSSI's work with the UN. It was so great to share the UN Committee's important work with an engaged audience.

Dr. Roxanne Moadel-Attie 

• I am currently serving as a Program Analyst at the Data Ingest and Collection for the Enterprise (DICE) program within the U.S. Census Bureau.
   
•  Starting with my experience as an SPSSI UN NGO intern in 2017, I have expanded my service as an SPSSI member in subsequent years. Namely, I am an annual reviewer for APA Division 9 conference submissions, a reviewer of local-and-state grant submissions since 2021, a co-chair of the 2021 virtual SPSSI conference, a participant and chair of the Policy Committee since 2021, an editor for a JSI special issue concerning Critical Race Theory, and an editor for the Virtual Series Issue in 2023.
   
• As a UN-NGO Intern, I most appreciated the opportunity to draft commission statements, plan UN commission events, and gain access to all UN NGO meetings and events. While an intern, I co-drafted commission statements, planned parallel commission events with members of the Psychology Coalition of NGOs Accredited at the UN (PCUN), participated in planning the 11th Psychology Day at the UN centered on sustainability, and engaged in UN NGO Committees on Education, Learning and Literacy. Having the unique opportunity to work with other psychologists and the broader NGO community on issues critical to the UN and to global audiences was truly rewarding as a growth experience.