PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
ABOUT ME
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
- Thomas A. Edison
I was born in Houston, Texas. At the age of fifteen months, my family moved to Hong Kong, where we lived for a couple years before moving to Singapore. While living overseas, my family had the amazing opportunity to travel across the world. These experiences have allowed me to gain a unique perspective of the world and develop a strong sense of curiosity.
In 2010, my family moved to Frisco, Texas, where we continue to live today. Currently, I am a junior at Reedy High School. In addition to being a member of the Frisco ISD Independent Study and Mentorship Program, I am a member of the Reedy High School Orchestra program as a head historian and varsity cellist. In my free time, I enjoy photography and listening to music.
My Mission Statement:
Over the course of this year in the Independent Study and Mentorship program, I plan to explore the field of psychological research and develop professional skills that will benefit me in the real-world. By working with a mentor, I hope to find a passion for a possible future career and gain an in-depth knowledge of how the human mind works.
Contact Information:
Email: brillnerin@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Erin Brill
Twitter: @erinnbrill
ABOUT ISM
Independent Study and Mentorship
What is ISM?
Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM) is a rigorous, challenging course offered at Frisco ISD high schools. This program is designed for academically gifted and high achieving students who are juniors or seniors. It receives weighted credit (5.5 points).
Students who want to take ISM go through a selection and application process and are chosen to participate in this exciting, rigorous elective. They select careers or topics of study, and the ISM teacher helps students narrow down and focus this topic of study. Students conduct informational interviews with professionals in this chosen field and from this process, they carefully choose a mentor with whom to work for the remainder of the year (usually second semester).
The ISM teacher guides and helps the students with this important interview and mentor selection process. The course includes intense research, original idea generation, original product design, and written analysis of research. Furthermore, the ISM teacher works with the students on professionalism, time management, effective oral and written communication, interpersonal skills, interviewing, resume writing, and goal setting to help prepare these students for success in their mentorship experience and in life after high school. The ISM teacher follows each student's progress closely, communicates often with mentors, and makes sure each student stays task committed.
What is encompassed in the ISM curriculum?
Intense Research
Topic-related Product Development
Original Idea Generation and Product Design
Public Speaking and Presentations
Resume Writing
Interviewing Skills
Business and Social Etiquette
Hands-on experiences in real work environments
Participation in District Events
Written assessments of research at highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
MENTOR BIO
Tracy Meyer M.S. M.A.
Tracy Meyer M.S. M.A.
Professor Tracy Meyer is a Professor of Psychology at Collin College. She teaches a variety of psychology courses including General Psychology, Lifespan Psychology, Human Sexuality, Learning Frameworks, and Psychology of Personality. She loves teaching and working with students. Outside of teaching, Dr. Meyer is an advisor in the Psi Beta - National Honors Society for Psychology, Collin College Model UN Team, Global Diplomatic Society.
Professor Meyer earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Saint Mary’s College of California. She then went on to earn a Master of Science in Counseling at California State University, East Bay. She received a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside.
In addition to teaching, Professor Meyer has had work published in the Encyclopedia of Gender (Encyclopedia of Gender. Sage Publications. 2017). Her study, Alcohol, Tobacco and Caffeine Use: Spouse Similarity Processes, was also published in 2006 (Reynolds, Barlow, Pederson. (2006) Alcohol, Tobacco and Caffeine Use: Spouse Similarity Processes. Behavior Genetics 36:2).
