Giving Back to Blue

Joseph Twitdy enjoys solving other people’s problems.

It’s a fitting strength for the Schererville, Ind. native who will graduate this spring with a major in psychology, a minor in counseling, and a dream of becoming a clinical psychologist.

It’s a challenge Twitdy will tackle at Indiana State, where he will work on his doctorate of psychology and give back to his community. His undergraduate career has prepared him for his next journey.

“I’ve grown in my professional development and networking skills while at Indiana State,” he said. “All of the organizations I have been a part of have allowed me to broaden my perspective about issues I am not knowledgeable about or to help me understand how someone else views an issue through a different lens.”

Twitdy was initially attracted to Indiana State because of the low student to faculty ratio and the Honors College. “I sat in on an Honors class before my freshman year, and I was really interested in Honors course work,” he said. “Living in an Honors building with like-minded people who are serious about college appealed to me and my mother.”

For Twitdy, family is important. Several of his family members graduated from Indiana State, including his mother, a social worker who sparked Twitdy’s interest in helping people. “She’s always been my No. 1 supporter,” he said. “She was always encouraging me to pursue what I wanted and my dreams.”

Twitdy’s found a similar support system on campus. “The faculty are always willing to help you and network and talk about your research interests,” he said. “My professor, Dr. Kevin Jordan, personally reached out to me to ask me to be a part of a research team.”

Twitdy also feels at home with his fellow Sycamores, noting, “When I see people on campus, they always say hi. They’re always smiling and always willing to help you.”  Twitdy himself has helped to build the bond between students through his extracurricular involvement. During his time at State, Twitdy has been actively involved in Brotherhood of Successful Scholars and Psi Chi, a national psychology honor society. Twitdy has also served as vice-chair of the Honors Council and a Speaker of the Senate for Student Government Association.

However, Twitdy believes that the roles that best prepared him for his future were his positions as first an academic peer advisor and then a residents’ assistant. “Working as an academic peer advisor and residents’ assistant solidified that I wanted to work with people,” he said. “I’ve learned to work and talk to people from different walks of life. They could be someone polar opposite of you, but you learn you have a lot of similarities.”

“When I talk about ISU to people, I talk about how it feels like you are a part of a community,” he said. “It feels as if your professors get to know you and you get to know them due to the smaller class size. For the past years here at State, Blue has meant family for me.”