Hello everyone!

My name is Elizabeth McElrath. You can call me Liz.

I am a Psychology major here at Old Dominion University.

Currently, I work for a non-profit organization in the field of organ and tissue donation. Within the past year, I became a Certified Tissue Banking Specialist through the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB).

When I first started my journey in the field of donation, I was a donation coordinator. In that position, I provided emotional support to grieving families, provided information about funeral homes and resources for financial aid, and facilitated the paperwork for the gift of donation. I then enrolled the grieving family into an aftercare program that provides long-term emotional support after donation and therapeutic resources.

Professionally, I would like to transition to the department that handles the aftercare program. To do that, I must acquire a bachelor’s degree.

I am extremely interested in the psychology of death, dying, and bereavement. I also find the link between mental wellbeing and health to be fascinating.

Taking this Social Psychology class gets me one step closer to my degree. It’s also an interesting subject that will give me insight into why someone may think, feel, or behave a certain way in different circumstances.

On a personal note, I’m an avid reader with a penchant for Hamlet, a writer, cold-brew coffee addict, and an orchid enthusiast. Per the Meyers-Briggs I’m an INFP. I used to live in Portland, Oregon. If you’re ever in Portland, you should definitely try VooDoo Doughnuts and visit the Japanese Gardens. I spend a lot of my free time with my husband and our funny little parrot called Echo.

I look forward to engaging with all of you this semester.