As a senior psychology major at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Maren Durand credits her academic and research achievements to opportunities provided by the university’s Blugold Fellowship program and the Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College. Originally from Arden Hills, Minnesota, Durand first became interested in UW-Eau Claire after being invited to participate in the fellowship as a prospective student.
Durand describes how the fellowship shaped her experience: “I was able to present at CERCA both years,” she recalls, “and then I also got to present at the National Association of School Psychologists Conference, which was in Seattle, so that was really cool to get to travel.”
Through faculty partnerships, particularly with Dr. Michael Axelrod in the psychology department and director of the Human Development Center (HDC), Durand participated in research focused on socio-emotional learning for at-risk adolescents. She continued her involvement with HDC as an Education and Learning Team intern, where she learned about assessing student behaviors and implementing interventions.
“It was cool because it was interdisciplinary,” says Durand. “So we got to work with school psychology students and graduate students in the CDS program, and just a bunch of different people collaborating.”
Durand also engaged with campus life through the Honors Living Learning Community (LLC) in Bridgman Hall. Reflecting on this early experience, she says: “It was just fun to have a group and to get to know the campus before everyone got there, because it was less scary than when everybody arrived…we already knew where the buildings were, we knew how to work our meal plans … and then we got to know Dr. Fielding and Kim (Wellnitz) better too.”
She found honors courses offered more diverse perspectives than major-specific classes. “Learning to listen to other people’s opinions and share your own opinions is interesting because that’s not always something that you get to do in college classes when you’re just being lectured at,” Durand says.
A departmental honors section led Durand into advanced coursework under assistant professor Molly Bonlender. Together they redesigned a course on trauma studies using universal design principles for greater accessibility. The experience gave Durand insight into teaching roles within higher education: “I think it gave me a little window into what it would be like to be a professor or something like a teaching role if I’m interested in it,” she says.
Further collaborations included working one-on-one with Dr. Jarrod Hines on research regarding eating disorders among students. They developed a mock program aligned with resources from the National Eating Disorder Association intended for campus use.
“You know, it gets complicated. So having to explain it was very different than doing it myself. I think that was rewarding to try to figure out how to better help people learn,” says Durand.
Beyond academics, Durand served as service team coordinator for Oaks International Campus Ministry and worked as an administrative assistant at her local summer camp. As graduation approaches, she remains undecided about her next steps but values her experiences at UW-Eau Claire.
“I’m more into trying new things, which is kind of what honors is all about — trying new classes, trying new topics and getting involved in things that you didn’t think you’d think were interesting,” she says.
Durand believes both the Blugold Fellowship and honors college have given her lasting skills for future academic or professional pursuits.
