ABPsi Student Circle Chair 2011-12

Martinque Jones

Greetings Family:

The 43rd Association of Black Psychologists Annual International Convention was excellent! Striving for excellence is my mission for the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) Student Circle. After attending the convention I feel more equipped than ever to take on such a task because of the support of student and professional members. .

In striving for excellence, one of my major goals is to increase membership in graduate and undergraduate students. Undergraduate students are a sector of members I truly value because I began my service within the ABPsi Student Circle as Southern Undergraduate Regional Representative. Capturing, developing, and nurturing the next generation of Black psychologists requires us to recruit students early in their professional career in efforts to instill in them a sense of cultural awareness, cultural history, and social advocacy. From an undergraduate student until now, I am so very thankful for peers, professionals, and mentors who instilled these values in me such that I may not only begin to serve the Black community, but also serve underprivileged and underrepresented populations.

I further hope that recruiting undergraduate students will strengthen the pipeline connecting students to early and late professionals. At some point in our development we all needed a mentor, confidant, and/or a friend. As students transition through this pipeline, I hope they may find all of these relationships and more within the ABPsi.

The relationships I refer to ensure the continued legacy of the ABPsi because students feel connected not only to a body of professionals, but also connected to a family. The family atmosphere of the ABPsi is an aspect which makes our organization unique. During my term as chairperson, I hope to grow our family to include more students and assist them in fostering relationships among our professional members.

In conclusion, the ABPsi was developed in excellence - excellence in providing mental health services to Black people, excellence in teaching Black students, and excellence in conducting research in collaboration with Black people. To that end, I hope we as the Association of Black Psychologists Student Circle ensure the continuation of our elder’s legacy by increasing membership, improving our scholarly standards, and serving as social advocates across the nation.

Peace and blessings,

Martinque K. Jones
Association of Black Psychologists Student Circle, Chairperson