Commencement Profile: Kira L. Bruce

Kira Bruce has earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology with a minor in women and gender studies while attaining a GPA of 3.9.

Bruce will receive the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence during the 10:00 a.m. baccalaureate ceremony at Buffalo State’s 141st Commencement, Saturday, May 18, in the Sports Arena.

After beginning her Buffalo State career as an early childhood education major, Bruce discovered that her professional goal is to work with children and adults as a clinical psychologist. She changed her major to psychology and proceeded to author an outstanding honors thesis examining the effects of parental divorce on adult offspring’s intimate relationships. She presented her research at the 2012 Student Research and Creativity Celebration and the 2013 annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association.

Driven by an interest in both research and clinical work, Bruce completed an extensive independent study exploring how preschool children respond to gender-stereotypic toys as well as an internship at the Erie County Holding Center, where she worked with inmates with mental illness. She earned a Small Grant Award from the Undergraduate Research Office at Buffalo State to fund her research activities.

Bruce was inducted into Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, in 2011. She was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in 2012. In addition, she was selected to serve as a teaching assistant for the undergraduate course Statistics in Psychological Research in spring 2013.

Active outside the classroom, Bruce worked as a mentor and tutor for the Educational Opportunity Program, contributed as an active member of the women and gender studies program’s book club, and participated in Buffalo State’s annual Community Service Day. She has established an extraordinary record of academic, work, and volunteer success.