By Trevor Havard, College of Education intern
PULLMAN, Wash. – A Washington State University associate professor is one of five national winners of a new award for mid-career psychologists based on accomplishment, peer recommendation and commitment to multicultural issues.
Laurie “Lali” McCubbin (http://education.wsu.edu/directory/faculty/mccubbinl), College of Education, received a 2015 “Shining Star” award from the National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS) at its recent biennial meeting. The summit gathers multicultural scholars and professionals from different divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA).
“Being a woman of color in academia, and the only native Hawaiian professor at this institution, can be isolating,” McCubbin said. “The award shows that people respect what I do in terms of diversity and that my work is validated and honored outside of this institution.”
“Dr. McCubbin is recognized as an expert in native Hawaiian psychology,” said colleague Brian McNeill (http://education.wsu.edu/directory/faculty/mcneillb), who wrote a recommendation on her behalf. “Her work in ethnic psychology research was a big reason why she won the award, and she was very deserving of it.”
The summit’s mission is to inform and inspire multicultural theory, research and practice. As one of five award recipients, McCubbin represented her APA division, the Society of Counseling Psychology.