Liberal Arts student empowers diverse communities at Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Janae Sayler, a fourth-year student majoring in psychology and advertising/public relations with a minor in human development and family studies, is co-founder and president of Minorities in the College of the Liberal Arts, a public speaking tutor and the head research assistant for a faculty-led lab exploring the experiences of sexual and gender diverse communities. Through these experiences, Sayler has shown a commitment to engaging in out-of-classroom opportunities that provide a sense of community and support for her fellow students.

Minorities in the College of the Liberal Arts began as an idea between Sayler and her friend and former classmate Luisina Kemanian-Leites when the pair recognized some of their classes only had two or three people of color. They knew there were many students of color in the College of the Liberal Arts, but classes did not allow them to feel that sense of togetherness. Bridging the gap between students of color in these classes was something they felt needed systematic support.

In the summer of 2021, this idea became reality when the two founded Minorities in the College of the Liberal Arts, a student organization dedicated to “bridging the gap between everyone —  minorities and allies — not only networking-wise, but through community that makes the University smaller,” said Sayler, a Hampton, Virginia, native.

The student organization has worked with Penn State faculty and staff — including Earl F. Merritt, the director of the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity in the College of the Liberal Arts, and Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, as well as the Office of Student Aid and others — to bring light to available opportunities for students of color at the University. The club also holds biweekly meetings where students can learn about one another and find their community.

Sayler, who serves as the club’s president, works to create the biweekly themed meetings, which are a combination of professional skill building and social development. Her favorite club meeting she’s created thus far has been a tote-bag making night where members painted on canvas tote bags to explore their imagination and talk about creativity with their fellow members. Sayler said this intersection of artistic flair and shared inventiveness are skills transferable to all future work opportunities.

The most rewarding club meetings, however, are ones where Sayler can engage in “general knowledge sharing for younger students.” Club meetings involving faculty and staff who guide students through selecting courses for the following semester, applying for scholarships and getting involved in research, are most important for Sayler, who believes in helping others thrive within their own niche.  

Sayler’s work within Minorities in the College of the Liberal Arts has allowed her to foster her passion for helping other students at Penn State. This led her to becoming a tutor for the Undergraduate Speaking Center, where she helps students in communication arts and sciences courses develop their public speaking skills both in person and over Zoom.

During tutoring sessions, Sayler guides students on proper public speaking techniques and practices, such as maintaining a confident delivery voice, using appropriate body movements, having good posture and using eye contact. She also helps students with the integrity of their speeches, such as creating good outlines, designing eye-catching presentations and developing well-supported theses and arguments.

“Seeing students leave and feel confident about their presentations is why I am a tutor,” she said. “Getting them to that point where they can tell themselves ‘I can do this’ is so rewarding. I love helping others see their own potential.”

Sayler is also involved in research working with underrepresented populations. Currently, she is a head research assistant in the Underrepresented Perspectives Lab, which is led by Jes Matsick, assistant professor of psychology and women's, gender, and sexuality studies. In this role, Sayler helps design and conduct qualitative and quantitative surveys, code survey feedback and draft literature reviews.

The Underrepresented Perspective Lab aims to conduct a “meta review of studies that have used minority stress theory, taking an intersectional approach through qualitative and quantitative coding, to look at research about sexual minority populations and find out if the research is actively depicting their populations,” Sayler said.

This research allowed Sayler to present findings about safety cues in health care for sexual and gender diverse populations last April. Her findings argued that safety cues in health care environments, such as name tags with pronouns or pride flags in offices, increased people’s sense of belonging and safety for their identity.

The culmination of Sayler’s experiences serving as co-founder and president of Minorities in the College of the Liberal Arts, a public speaking tutor, and the head research assistant for the Underrepresented Perspective Lab, led Sayler to her passion for working with minority populations. She will follow this passion into graduate school, where she plans to study social psychology or social personality psychology, with a research interest in investigating close relationships between young Black populations.

“As a minority myself, I understand there is a need to work with minority populations. In my own journey going to Penn State, I feel like a lot of my opportunities came from that,” Sayler said. “Understanding community is very important, and something I want to help continue.”

Sayler’s pathway to applying to graduate school, as well as her out-of-classroom experiences during her undergraduate years at Penn State, would not have been possible if not for the help of her College of the Liberal Arts instructors.

“I haven’t met one professor or faculty member who I haven’t liked. They are all willing to help,” Sayler said. “There’s such a wide range of classes and student organizations that have helped me develop my professional and personal interests. The one thing I always say to younger students is to get involved, and to get involved as soon as possible, especially in research. It’s how you find your people.”