Jennifer Woodrum, a 2020 graduate of the Clinical-Counseling program within the Department of Psychology, has been awarded the James L. Fisher Outstanding Thesis Award. Her thesis, titled “Mediation Among Maladaptive Perfectionism, Maladaptive Emotion Regulation, and Distress,” was selected as the overall winner and will be submitted to the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) competition to be held in March at their annual meeting.

Woodrum, who graduated back in May, is living in Bloomington while working full-time as a mental health counselor at the Center for Youth and Family Solutions, where she also completed her degree practicum. She works with individuals and families seeking community mental health and provides services for families involved in foster care. Woodrum is also involved in the Illinois Counseling Association where she is on the Professional Development Committee. She is currently working to become a licensed professional counselor as well.

The award is named after James L. Fisher, former professor, administrator, and vice president of Illinois State University. In addition, Fisher is a renowned scholar in leadership in academia, as well as President Emeritus of Towson State University and the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Winners of the thesis competition are recognized at the college level, are selected to receive the Fisher Award, as well as represent the University at the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools regional competition.