While Brennan Patterson may have graduated in the Spring of 2025, the skills she gained from her time as an IU Indianapolis Honors student have remained with her far beyond the classroom. Brennan began her undergraduate years with a passion for law; however, the pre-law track that she was on was causing nothing but dismay, leading her to debate what path to take instead. While searching for her purpose, she saw a program hosted by the Psychology department that centered around the overlap between Forensic Psychology and Law work. She knew what she wanted to do from that day onwards.
It may have taken Brennan a moment to find her footing in her undergraduate years, but once she did, she went full steam ahead. She embraced the Honors College and the opportunities that were presented, including semester long Honors Contracts where she was able to dive deeper into her class topics.
One Honors Contract that really stuck with her was her project focused on decreasing stigma regarding Schizophrenia. Brennan spent the semester researching the way in which aggressive thoughts and behavior worked within the minds of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia. She took therapy transcriptions and looked at data from baseline entry to six months in the program, to determine what kind of treatment best worked in order to decrease these aggressive symptoms. In another lab she worked one-on-one with undergraduate students, using a block design subtest of the Weschler’s IQ test which she still uses in her Graduate studies. Her work was so successful that one of the Principal Investigators in her Graduate lab recommended that she share her results at a conference in the Spring.
Not only were these Honors Contracts beneficial for her coursework, but they also fit her own personal interests. Since she has aspirations to do Forensic Psychology work, her research into aggression serves as a baseline for her continued research into this field and the ways in which it can be implemented in courtroom evaluations. The Honors College gave her the push to explore this topic in greater depth than she had imagined possible.
While the research for her Honors Contracts allowed her to explore topics that she found great interest in, it was her work for the Honors Research Microcredential that truly represents her dedication to academia.
For those who haven’t heard of this before, the Honors College Research Microcredential is a mentored research program in which faculty can assist a student with documenting and reflecting on what one has learned about the research process. This can be used as a way to better prepare Honors students for future internships, careers, or academics.
When Brennan first learned of this Honors opportunity, she knew that she wanted to be involved. She had spent so much of her time as an undergraduate student buried up to her neck in research and the Microcredential provided her with the chance to showcase her work for others.
Brennan spent two semesters investigating the connection between interrogation methods and exoneration rates in Indiana counties and then an additional semester centered around completing therapy transcriptions for patients with schizophrenia.
Not only did her completion of the Honors Microcredential provide her with an excellent resume booster, but it also cemented her status as the first IU Indianapolis Honors scholar to complete this task. When asked about her feelings regarding this, Brennan shared that she was “happy to be the guinea pig” and enjoys being able to say that she was “the first to complete it.”
However, Brennan also cannot wait until more Honors students follow in her steps and complete their own Honors Research Microcredentials. The opportunity helped her to learn more about professional relationships, research, and writing. She recommends it to all future Honors scholars who are interested in showcasing their research efforts throughout college.
While Brennan is now pursuing her PsyD at Xavier University, she still looks fondly back at her time in the Honors College at IU Indianapolis.
Her advice for all future Honors students is that “there will always be times where you feel like you are not smart enough to be in the classes you are in or the schools you are applying to, but everyone else is also feeling that way and it is normal. You are where you are and you got the opportunities given to you for a reason, so do not sell yourself short.”
For Brennan, the Honors College provided her with opportunities that she would have never had at another college. She found her life aspirations and a community dedicated to helping those dreams come true. As she continues on in her academic career, she will carry these lessons with her and continue to root for future scholars following in her footsteps.
