Eli Huffman

Eli Huffman is a psychology and women, gender and sexuality studies double major from East Peoria, IL

Hometown: East Peoria, IL

High School: East Peoria Community High School

Year: Expected graduation: 2026

What scholarships did you receive and why did you receive them? How has the financial support impacted your experience at NIU?
I received a merit scholarship due to my high school GPA and maintenance of that GPA in college. I received scholarships from the NIU Forensics team for commitment and engagement in the team. Finally, I received the Ari and Ruth Kovacevich Scholarship due to outstanding academic merit and engagement in the honors program.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? Are you pursuing that as a major, or have you taken another path?
I always hopped between career paths growing up, but I always assumed I would either do something creative or something that helped people. I am currently pursuing a career in psychology, which falls in line with my childhood career path of helping others.

What is your major (and/or minor) and why did you decide on this course of study?
I am double majoring in psychology and women, gender and sexuality studies (WGSS). I decided on this course of study because I want to work with the LGBTQ+ community and the relationships LGBTQ+ people have with their families, and both majors focus on facets of this career goal.

Have you conducted your own research through Research Rookies, Honors capstones or theses or any other faculty-guided research opportunity?
Yes

Tell us about the research you are doing and why it interests you.
I participated in Research Rookies in fall 2023 and spring 2024 with Dr. Melissa Fickling. Our research project was about gender non-conforming, non-binary, binary trans and trans individuals' experiences of extended family. This research was interesting to me due to my personal interests and career aspirations. Currently, I am in Dr. Randy McCarthy's social psychology lab. Primarily, we are researching prosocial behaviors and apologies. I am interested in this research because I want to learn more about social psychology and the impact of these behaviors, as well as the benefits of promoting prosocial behaviors.

How has conducting research strengthened your education and experience at NIU?
Research has strengthened my experience because I feel like it has helped me make connections and better understand research, which is a large part of my psychology degree. Doing research has also helped me better understand how to conduct interviews and interact with others in a research setting, which I feel is very important, as a lot of my future career will be working with people.

How will your research experience help you in the future?
I think these experiences will help me get into graduate school, as research is an important part of that, and a master's degree is something I want to pursue. I also feel like it has helped me learn how to work professionally with others and engage with others, which is useful for any career I may go in to.

Who at NIU has been important to your success doing research and why?
Dr. Melissa Fickling has been very important to my success in research because she was the one who started doing research with me and helped teach me almost everything I know about research. She was and continues to be a very supportive mentor, and I appreciate everything she has done for me!

What advice would you give to an incoming student as it relates to research at NIU?
My advice would be to engage if you are at all interested. Research Rookies is a great place to start. It's better to have the experience to help you know if you like it or not, so if you have the opportunity, take it!

What has been something you have found pleasantly surprising about your experience at NIU?
I have found the support I've received from everyone at NIU to be pleasantly surprising. I am generally quiet and shy, but have been able to connect with other students, faculty and staff due to how nice, welcoming and understanding everyone has been.

How have you connected with other students to study for classes, meet new people or form new friendships?
Primarily through consistent contact. Regarding study groups, if I notice that I have a person in more than one of my classes, I'll try to connect with them so we can study for all the classes we share. I also try to be nice and open when we do group/partner work, because you never know when you'll make a new friend. Even though it can be difficult and anxiety-inducing to reach out to those around you, it is the best method for meeting new people and making new friends.

Are you involved in any student organizations, mentoring programs or extra-curricular activities? If so, which ones? How have they added to your experience as a Huskie?
At the moment, I am not a part of anything outside of the research lab I mentioned prior.

What NIU offices, departments or resources have helped you feel safe, supported and successful? And how?
The Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality (CSWGS) is the main resource I have used for support and safety. Everyone there is always kind and open, and it is a place that is safe for my friends and me to go to for studying, community and support during difficult times.

What Honors Program opportunities or support have helped you get closer to your academic or career goals so far?
I think the honors classes I have been in have helped me be involved in my education and learn a lot of new things. I like the challenge of honors courses, and I feel like these unique opportunities have really added to my academic experience.

What do you enjoy the most about the Honors Program?
The thing I enjoy most about the honors program is the classes.

Who has been one of your favorite instructors/professors and why? What course did they teach?
Dr. Canton Winer and Katie Heinekamp are two professors who come to mind immediately. I have taken multiple classes with both of them (all WGSS classes), and they are both wonderful teachers. What I love most about both of them is how they engage their students in the class and how they are as willing to learn from the students as they are to teach them. They always create positive, informative classroom environments, and their classes are ones that have shaped my college experience in an extremely positive way.

How have you benefited by attending class regularly?
Attending class regularly has been the main facet of my success in college thus far. It is a lot easier to attend class because you can use that time to learn the information, rather than trying to set aside time outside of class to learn. However, things do happen and it's not always possible to attend class regularly. I had a situation last semester where I was not able to be in class regularly. My advice for if you can't attend class regularly for whatever reason is to keep going. Rely on your community — like professors or other students — to help keep you up to date. Other people are invested in your success, and it's okay if something happens that makes it difficult to attend class regularly! Just do your best.

Where is your favorite spot on campus or in the community? Why are you drawn to it?
The CSWGS is my favorite spot on campus because of the people there. It is a comforting place where everyone is kind, and I feel safe to be there with my friends, whether we're doing work or just hanging out.

What advice would you give to a student who is researching colleges to apply to?
Look at all facets of college. Things like rank are, in my opinion, far less important than location, cost, financial aid, opportunity, etc. Really take the time to look at everything you can find and choose a school that will be good for you in the long term, not only in terms of opening doors, but in other ways, too.

Why is a college education important to you?
A college education is important to me because my family hasn't had a lot of opportunities to attend college and has worked hard to give my brother and I this opportunity. It's important to me that I take advantage of this opportunity and do my best so that I can have opportunities that my family and I want for me.

What strategies do you use to manage your time between the responsibilities of school, work, friends and family?
I try to have a cut-off time for doing homework/studying. It's important to me to be present when I am with my friends and family, so really distinguishing the time that's for work and the time that is for family/friends is really important to me. I also make an effort to have ways to stay in regular contact with my friends, such as weekly calls, scheduled time, activities, etc. Again, it's all about scheduling and making the effort to engage in what you want to engage in.

How do you stay informed about events and services that are available on campus?
Primarily email.

What do you do to relax or recharge?
I like to play Stardew Valley and Minecraft, read, hang out with my partner and our kitten, and sleep!

Please tell us about your job and hobbies.
I don't currently have a job. Some of my hobbies are reading, playing video games and creative things like crochet, painting, writing, etc.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your NIU Huskie story?
I send out thanks to my parents, brother, partner, friends and professors who have been there to support me through this journey. I truly could not do this without the community I have built and their support, and I am forever grateful for these individuals and everything they have done for me.