by 
Having gone through a tumultuous childhood, Shadae Chambers decided in seventh grade to become to other people the support person she lacked growing up. To this end, the Albrightsville resident and Monroe Campus graduate, majored in psychology as a first step toward becoming an experimental psychologist who conducts research on social interactions and interpersonal relationships.
“I chose NCC’s psychology program so I could better understand how our emotions, thoughts and behaviors influence us,” she says. “Learning this will allow me to effectively guide people to become better versions of themselves and improve the mental health of society as a whole.” She chose Northampton Community College because of its affordability and course variety. She is happy with her choice. “All the professors I had invested considerable effort to make class interesting.”
Like her dedicated professors, Chambers has invested herself in college life through the Phi Theta Kappa honors program, as both treasurer and president simultaneously. In addition to organizing activities on-campus, she spearheaded the club’s community outreach, including donating handmade dog toys to animal shelters, bookmarks to a nursing home, Thanksgiving food for students in need and hygiene and beauty products to single mothers.
Through PTK she has collaborated with the Science Club, the Sustainability Club and others. Her leadership contributed to making the NCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa achieve recognition as a distinguished chapter and is the top thirteenth in the Middle States Region.
In addition to holding leadership positions at NCC, Chambers has demonstrated leadership at home by helping a sister with learning disabilities to do her homework and acting as a second mother while her mother was at work. Helping her sister was challenging and Chambers had to struggle to find time to keep up with her own school work.
What does Chambers recommend for psychology majors? The honors program heads her list. She says that many psychology courses are available as honors courses and that the program encourages independent work.
“Because of NCC, I am spiritually unrecognizable from the person I was in high school,” she says. She particularly values improving her communication and leadership skills, making new friends, volunteering at campus events and becoming a more cultured and culturally aware person.
In addition to the Hites award, Chambers has also earned the Annual Pan African Caucus Educational Scholarship and the Honors Program Scholarship. She will continue her education at Swarthmore College.
