Augsburg College - Augsburg Now

Adam McWethy graduated with distinction and with departmental honors in psychology last spring. Four years earlier, he had learned about Augsburg's StepUP program and decided to apply—a decision that would change his life.

"I knew nothing about the school and wasn't even Lutheran," McWethy said. "But I knew I had a great opportunity in this one-of-a-kind program." McWethy was one of approximately 40 students in the growing StepUP program, which provides a supportive environment to allow students in recovery from addiction achieve academic success. McWethy's appreciation of StepUP's mission has now brought him into leadership positions on StepUP's advisory board and, since graduation, on a StepUP alumni board.

McWethy became a psychology major in his sophomore year. "I came here because of StepUP, but it was the Psychology Department that allowed me to find my niche and to excel."

He currently works as a child/family advocate at Wayside House—where he also completed his psychology internship. This program provides safe housing for women in recovery from chemical dependency. McWethy

spends his time working with teams who are trying to accomplish what is best for the children of the residents. He says he is "on the front line of a war to save kids' lives."

McWethy has also worked on a number of research projects, most recently with Professor Nancy Steblay. For the past two years, McWethy and Steblay have collaborated on a project in psychology and law that includes Steblay's research colleagues at the University of Texas-El Paso. Together, the team has collected and analyzed a massive amount of laboratory data addressing three interrelated variables in the jury decision-making process: inadmissible evidence, judicial instruction to disregard this evidence, and type and timing of such instruction. A paper, which McWethy co-authored, was presented in July at the International Interdisciplinary Psychology and Law conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. McWethy's honors thesis was a section of this research and specifically investigated the impact of charging instructions that follow a trial.

McWethy's internship and his research experiences are part of an education that allowed him "opportunities to go above and beyond the classroom." "That is what I love about Augsburg," he said. "There is always room to do your own thing, and you truly get out of the school what you put into it."

According to Steblay, what McWethy "put into" the academic endeavor was laudable. "Adam's skills of analysis and synthesis are remarkable," she said. "His talents are well-suited to this domain of research—an inquiry that merges psychology and law. He has a particularly sharp eye for the policy

implications of the data. Adam is a valued collaborator; the products of our work have been much richer for his contributions."

The research experience dramatically influenced McWethy's future plans. "While my jobs have shaped my interest—helping children—it is my research experience that has altered how I believe I can be most effective in solving kids' problems. I began to truly comprehend the power of research to alter the way in which society views problems. It is only through research that the way we heal can become more effective," said McWethy. He plans to apply to graduate programs in psychology and law.

"Augsburg gave me a focus and a passion that have allowed me to exceed all my expectations for myself. No longer do I make excuses ... Instead, I now do what I need to do because I love it and because I see the good that can result from my work."

Judy Petree is media relations manager. Professor Nancy Steblay contributed to this story.