The Ring Award was established by Trish Calvert Ring, Ph.D. to support graduate students in any branch of the Department of Psychology. The award is designed to support graduate student research by funding proposed projects and conference travel to present their research findings.
Dr. Ring is a 1996 graduate of the Counseling Psychology program. She taught at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., before establishing a private practice as a therapist and consultant. Her current practice is in equine-assisted learning; she is the owner of Blue Star Ranch in Cashiers, N.C., where she hosts private clients and workshops in Leadership Development and Relationship Coaching.
UF graduate students have benefited in many ways from her generous support and advice. In a meeting with Dr. Ring last year, they shared with her the impact of her award.
- Tessa Wimberley, a Counseling graduate student, noted that “I was able to travel to the APA convention for the first time to present a symposium with my colleagues and my former advisor. I presented findings [that] examined the effectiveness of a self-help intervention.”
- Nathan Petro, from the area of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, was able to attend multiple conferences thanks to Dr. Ring’s awards. He also shared the encouragement he felt upon listening to Dr. Ring’s personal journey: “Hearing the story of how you found your path to happiness and success was inspiring to me and provides an added sense of motivation during the tedious parts of graduate school.”
- Jonathan Fernand, studying in the field of Behavior Analysis, expressed the sentiment that was consistent throughout all of the graduate students who have interacted with Dr. Ring, or have received her awards: “I can’t reiterate enough how much you have contributed to the success of many graduate students, well beyond those you met during your visit. Thank you.” Jonathan was able to present his work on the evaluation of intervention techniques for children who engage in restrictive and selective eating habits at multiple Behavior Analysis conferences.
Dr. Ring’s personal experience as a graduate student inspired her support of this award. As she says, “I could not have earned my PhD as a single mother over traditional age without the generous support of scholarships and fellowships throughout my years in graduate school.”
Dr. Ring continues to be innovative in her own practice and offers training for Clinicians and Coaches. The Blue Star Ranch has a transformative, immersive, RingLeader Equine Training Program. The program is designed for accomplished professionals who are naturally process-oriented, drawn to nature-based experiential learning, and searching for a way to add a new, highly effective skill set to their professional repertoire.
Learn how to bring your own expertise into the arena, in partnership with horses, to help your clients develop new insights, practice self-soothing and self-regulation skills, and improve their leadership skills, relationship dynamics, and overall well-being. It’s experiential learning at its most effective — and it’s fun! For more information, visit the RingLeader Coaching website or email Trish.