Statement of Intent
I am applying for the Chair-Elect position in the CPA Section for Students. My dedication to student advocacy and psychology dates back to my undergraduate degree. Serving as Co-President of the Dalhousie Association of Psychology Students for two years during my undergraduate studies, and now currently serving as the Co-President of the Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students in Psychology has equipped me with valuable leadership experience. In these roles, I initiated mentorship programs, organized workshops and events, planned a charity gala, and fostered a sense of community within the department. Additionally, I am currently the student representative for the Clinical Program Committee at Dalhousie University and the student representative for department faculty meetings. Previously, I was the student representative of the Undergraduate Program Committee for two years. With these positions, I have experience representing psychology students and vocalizing students' opinions on committees and boards. Furthermore, in my role as the Trainee Representative on the CIHR Sleep Research Consortium, I review applications for the lab exchange program scholarships. I have experience with leadership, managing tasks, and planning and hosting online and virtual events through my extracurriculars and research.
I am collaborative, organized, creative, and have strong problem-solving, time-management, and leadership skills. These qualities have been further demonstrated through my supervision and mentorship experience—I am currently a mentor in the CPA mentorship program, where I am actively guiding an undergraduate student applying to graduate school, and I am also co-supervising two Honours students at Dalhousie University. I believe that my previous experiences will equip me to excel in the role of Chair-Elect for the student section of the CPA. I am deeply committed to student advocacy, creating an inclusive environment that supports students' success, and I am eager to collaborate with fellow students and CPA members to advance the goals of the student section.
Biography
Alzena Ilie is a second-year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at Dalhousie University. She is supervised by Dr. Penny Corkum, and her research interests are focused on pediatric insomnia and creating novel online interventions to help treat insomnia and promote sleep health in children and adolescents, as well as creating eHealth professional development programs to train healthcare providers on how to properly assess and treat pediatric sleep disorders. Her dissertation is focused on creating an mHealth sleep health program for university students.
Outside of academics, Alzena is currently engaged in various extra-curricular activities. She is currently serving as the student representative on the Clinical Program Committee at Dalhousie, and she is the Co-President of the Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students in Psychology/Neuroscience. During her undergraduate studies, she served as Co-President of the Dalhousie Association of Psychology Students for two years, where she was involved in raising money for different charities, creating a psychology/neuroscience mentorship program, planning different academic workshops and events, and organizing and hosting a successful charity gala. Additionally, Alzena has engaged in various community roles, such as being a peer mentor in the CPA mentorship program, volunteering for the Canadian Association of Girls in Science (CAGiS) Halifax chapter, and serving as a panelist on a variety of graduate student Q&A panels. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.