Jill Swirsky

Temple University

Psychology (developmental)

She/her/hers

Jill is currently an Assistant Professor at Holy Family University, but getting there was quite the journey! She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology/Gender Studies from Drew University in 2010, whereupon she immediately applied for PhD programs in clinical psychology. After getting rejected from all of them, she entered a very dramatic phase where she considered everything from clown college to simply hiding under her bed forever... but eventually (fortunately!) decided that pursuing a certification in Applied Behavior Analysis would be a much more productive route. Three years (and 4 GRE rounds) later she was accepted to Temple University's Developmental Psychology PhD program and graduated in 2019. Jill likes to say that she is a prime example of the power of perseverance, and that the journey is more important than the destination. Her research interests range from adolescent peer relationships (aggression/victimization, social status, social media) to contemporary feminism (how women make decisions about whether to change their name after marriage). Research is fun, but Jill's true passion is teaching and mentoring undergraduates. She believes very strongly in a "pay it forward mentality" - so many wonderful older students and faculty helped guide her along her path and she is very excited that now it's her turn to do the same for others!

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