HIGH POINT, N.C., May 8, 2015 – The Department of Psychology at High Point University recently recognized junior Lauren Rubenstein with its Outstanding Psychology Student Award for the 2014-2015 school year.
Rubenstein, a native of Commack, New York, is working toward completing two degrees at HPU, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, along with minors in statistics and Spanish. With a perfect GPA in both her majors and a 3.95 GPA overall, she is a member of Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society; Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society; National Society of Leadership and Success; Alpha Chi National Honor Society; and Order of Omega. She was also recently inducted into Sigma Delta Pi, the honor society for Spanish, and is a junior marshal.
In addition to her impressive academic credentials, Rubenstein is involved in a number of campus organizations and programs. She is an interviewer at HPU’s Survey Research Center and a Spanish tutor. Previously she has served as a resident assistant, math tutor and Student Government Association senator. She traveled abroad during a Maymester in Chile, where she completed her Spanish minor.
Rubenstein says it was a special honor to be selected as a junior for the award by HPU’s psychology faculty, whom she greatly respects.
“HPU has given me so many opportunities that I could not have gotten anywhere else,” Rubenstein says. “Having such small classes allowed me to form great relationships with my professors. I have been able to aid them in research as well as have them as mentors while I conduct my own research.”
Rubenstein’s research is focused on advocacy for victims of violence, an interest she developed while participating in the High Point Washington program. She spent the fall semester in Washington, D.C., taking a forensic psychology class and participating in an internship with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit, where she worked with victims during the initial intake process.
At HPU, she has conducted research with criminal justice faculty examining mass murders throughout history. Currently, she is working with Dr. Deborah Danzis, associate professor of psychology, to develop her own independent research project on the factors related to victim stigmatization and blame.
This summer, Rubenstein plans to continue her research on victim blaming while taking summer classes and preparing for the GRE. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in forensic psychology.
