How do you choose a college major? How can you make a difference on campus as a college student? Welcome back to our Student Spotlight series, where you can meet real UNH students, see campus through their eyes and learn more about why they love UNH. Meet Sadie Chaffin '25, a psychology and justice studies dual major.
Sadie Chaffin '25
1. Why did you choose UNH?
I found out about UNH from my mom, who is a UNH alumna. I chose UNH ultimately because of the great location and opportunities for research, which I knew would be important for my major and desire to go to graduate school. I was also drawn to UNH because of the beautiful campus and active student life. The campus is close to both the New Hampshire Seacoast and city areas like Boston.
2. How did you choose your majors?
I decided to major in psychology after taking Intro to Psychology and Social Psychology courses in high school. I was drawn to the study of human behavior because of my curiosity about why people behave the way they do and how social relations are formed and maintained. I chose to dual major in justice studies because I am passionate about social justice issues and thought it would complement my personal advocacy initiatives and psychology major well.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the coursework for both my majors throughout my time as an undergraduate and hope to continue to learn about psychological and justice-related issues in my future education.
3. What professor has had the biggest impact on you?
I have had many impactful professors throughout my time here at UNH, but if I had to choose one professor who was the most impactful, I would choose Ellen Cohn. I have worked in Ellen’s Legal Socialization Lab since the fall of my sophomore year and I have learned so much from her these past few years.
She has inspired me to go into the field of social psychology with her work on legal socialization and racial biases and has helped provide me with numerous opportunities, such as working in her lab, presenting at the Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), receiving the Haselrud Award, assisting her with an NSF grant for my justice studies internship and talking with her about her own experiences with research and in the broader field.
Sadie Chaffin '25
4. What has been your favorite experience at UNH so far?
My favorite experience I have had at UNH was helping Student Senate and Health & Wellness get a vending machine on campus that offered free Plan B. This was my favorite experience because it was extremely meaningful to work with my fellow Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA) members and other student orgs to make tangible change on our campus. It also provided me with an opportunity to meet former Provost Wayne Jones and advocate on behalf of my fellow students for the accessibility of a critical health resource.
5. Have you participated in any experiential learning at UNH?
I have done research in the Legal Socialization Lab and Bailey Social Cognition Lab and I have interned at the Prevention Innovation Research Center.
I would say my most valuable research experience was doing a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) study in the BIAS lab. This study allowed me to investigate an original research question and conduct an experimental survey as a lead investigator. It taught me how to program in R and analyze data that I collected through Prolific. It was the first time I led an independent research project where I created a study, collected data and interpreted results. This experience not only taught me so much about how to do research, but has given me confidence in my own researching abilities and how to apply what I have learned in my undergraduate studies.
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