Spring/Summer 2022 Mortensen Donor Awards

Congratulations to the 2022 Spring and Summer Undergraduate Mortensen Psychology Engagement Award Winners: (Spring):, Katherine Johnson, Megan Langsev, Kalea Yang, and (Summer): Flora Pollack!

This award is a $500 scholarship recognizing psychology majors participating in real-world learning experiences. The selection criteria include a student's academic performance in the Psychology major, the strength of the student's essay, and the student's integration of study abroad within their psychology major academic plan.

Spring Recipients

Katherine Johnson, BS '22

Johnson served as a sports data and analytics intern at the Special Olympics. While she completed a variety of tasks, the major project she worked on is Sport for Development. She also helped conduct research that explored how participation in sports helps people with intellectual disabilities. 

Megan Langsev, BS '22

Langsev volunteered with Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), an organization that focuses on creating a climate of resistance against the abuse of authority committed by police officers and empowering communities that have been harmed by police brutality. As a psychology major, Langsev served in the mental health workgroup for CUAPB, which supports this organization’s efforts to improve education and awareness, as well as pass legislation, that promotes alternatives to police response for those experiencing mental health crises (e.g., Travis’s Law). Langsev described her experiences with CUAPB as “invaluable.” 

Kalea Yang, BS '25 

Yang’s work in the YMCA Step n' Stones program has helped her realize her passion for working with and understanding children. With Step n’ Stones, Yang spent a couple of hours each week helping children one-on-one with homework and whatever else they may bring to the table. She also dedicated some time each month to writing letters back and forth to students in the local Minneapolis area. This experience allowed Yang to observe everyday behaviors of the children in the program, growing her curiosity as to whether their individual behaviors have been researched. 

Summer Recipients 

Flora Pollack, BA Honors '23

This summer Pollack had the opportunity to work as an intern for LITAO, a business-to-business (B2B) sales management company based in Shanghai. Her work with LITAO allowed her to combine both her psychology background and Mandarin skills to assist them in establishing potential Taiwanese food importers for their European clients. The company’s initiatives are guided by their understanding of how people engage in foreign business relations and how to use science-driven research to best solve branding, marketing, and cultural issues.