Morgan E. Johnson, a first-year graduate student in the doctoral program in school psychology, is a 2018 recipient of the Illinois State University Foundation Fellowship.

Johnson graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. As an undergraduate student, she earned University Honors (2014-2017), an LSA (Literature, Science, and the Arts) Internship Scholarship (2017), and the Donald H. and Elizabeth F. Runck Scholarship (2016–2017.) Her honors thesis, “Teachers’ Impact on the Well-Being and Achievement of Students with Special Needs,” was accepted for publication in the Spring 2018 edition of the Yale Review of Undergraduate Research in Psychology.

“My desire to study psychology stems from my 14-year-old brother who is on the Autism Spectrum,” Johnson said. “His experiences have motivated my longstanding interest in education and psychology and contributed to my desire to help other children with disabilities reach their full potential.”

After completing her Ph.D. in school psychology, Johnson would like to become a licensed psychologist and conduct assessments of early childhood and school-age children with known or suspected Autism Spectrum Disorder or other developmental disabilities.

The Illinois State University Foundation Fellowship is awarded to three doctoral and three master’s level students each year. To be considered for this award, applicants must demonstrate a potential for academic success at the graduate level, having attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale, among other qualifications.