This year’s Talley Lecture Series brought in Dr. Sherrie Proctor of Queen’s College, City University of New York. Dr. Proctor led a conversation with students and faculty from the School Psychology program, where we could all talk about what our jobs look like day-to-day. As a school psychology student interested in social justice, I was incredibly excited to learn from Dr. Sherrie Proctor. With experience as a practitioner, professor, and researcher, Dr. Proctor is a leading voice in our profession’s definition of social justice. Being able to have an honest conversation about the practical social justice issues in our everyday life and how to combat them had me walking away feeling like people understood what my experience looks like. The opportunity for students to sit with her and discuss the practicality of being a social justice advocate was invaluable.

Additionally, Dr. Proctor held a lecture titled, “Students of Color in Graduate Education Programs: The Role of Connection, Support, and Intentionality,” where she shared her own research. Her study focused on students of color and their perception of peer and faculty relationships and how these perceptions shaped their individual progression within graduate programs in School Psychology, influencing her future research on attrition and retention rates of students of color in graduate education programs. I can’t speak on behalf of my program, but I personally am very grateful for the opportunity to meet and learn from professionals as successful as Dr. Proctor.