Keiko McCullough, doctoral student in Counseling Psychology, has won the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs 2021 Outstanding Graduate Student Award.

This national award, which recognizes excellence in research and service contributions, is arguably the most prestigious student award in the field of counseling psychology. McCullough said they were thrilled when they found out they won the award.

“I knew that this award was highly competitive. I also felt gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Joel Wong, who encouraged me to apply and is always such a strong supporter of his advisees, and to our training program at IU for putting me in the position to receive this prestigious award,” they said.

McCullough describes their current research as a blend of the critical disciplines as well as the fields of media studies and psychology: “In my career, I hope to create an interdisciplinary field that critically examines media texts and investigates the psychological effects of positive or negative depictions of marginalized groups upon viewers. My current work seeks to add to this field both empirically and conceptually.”

Like many, McCullough was drawn to counseling psychology with the goal of helping people. Now they hope to do research, clinical, teaching and advocacy work that contributes to a broader social justice mission of ending oppressions.

“I've noticed that when my professional activities are more aligned with this goal, I feel a stronger sense of fulfillment and purpose in my work,” they added.

McCullough is currently working as a doctoral intern at University of California, Los Angeles. While at IU, they were the graduate assistant of the Asian Culture Center for two years. In line with their interest in media, they were involved in the creation of "Hearabouts: Asian American Midwest Radio," one of the first Asian American focused radio programs in the Midwest.