Exercise and Sport Psychology Students Aim to Make Social Change in their Field
The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) has named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students Drew Dueck, of Hartford, Wis., and Matthew Scott, of St. Louis, 2022-2023 AASP student delegates. The graduate students are studying exercise and sport psychology and will join peers worldwide to work on assigned student initiatives and programming for AASP’s annual conference.
“To have two of the AASP’s 13 student delegate positions go to SIUE students is a testament to the work they are doing to be advocates in the field and the caliber of students we have in our program,” said Lindsay Ross-Stewart, PhD, associate professor in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s Department of Applied Health. “The larger presence our program has achieved in the sport psychology community in recent years is an example of the work we have done to design a program that prepares students to not only meet the expectations of the field, but also be advocates and change makers in sport psychology.”
Dueck and Scott stand out for their engagement in the classroom and impressive research endeavors. Both have an interest in diversity, equity and inclusion in sport.
“I am looking forward to being in a leadership position where we can help the larger AASP community come together, share ideas, and create change,” said Dueck. “It is incredible to get the opportunity to do all of that while working with a diverse group of hard-working student peers.”
Dueck hopes to contribute impactful ideas to social justice, science and practice initiatives. When he is not fulfilling his duties as a student delegate, he will be coaching at the collegiate level and focusing on his research, centered on domain-specific grit in sport and sport confidence and the relationship between the two.
Scott, who serves as the vice president of SIUE’s Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Color People (NAACP) and is a recent recipient of the Student Diversity Travel Grant Award, will help expand the NAACP and AASP’s shared values and support the elimination of racial discrimination.
“I wish to use my platform as an AASP student delegate to advocate for civil rights, social action, social justice, and social change on social media,” said Scott. “I am determined to discover how stereotypes unfold for individuals whose identities place them in multiple oppressed groups. I am also interested in working with athletes to develop a positive self-image, boost their self-efficacy, and improve their overall performance both on and off the field.”
Dueck and Scott will join SIUE exercise and sport psychology alumnus Kerry Guest, president of the executive board of AASP’s student delegates, at the AASP Annual Conference in Fort Worth in October 2022.
Photo: AASP Student Delegates (left-right) Drew Dueck and Matthew Scott.
