Countdown to Commencement 2025: Natalie Byrd

Natalie Byrd, a first-generation student and psychology major, is this week’s featured senior in the “Countdown to Commencement” series. She was nominated by Dr. Jessica Robinson, assistant professor of psychology.

During her time at Fisher, Byrd has been extremely involved in many aspects of campus life. She is a founding member of The Body Talk Club, which promotes and builds awareness of body positivity, and is also a member of the Psychology Club. An Honors Scholar, Byrd has also completed multiple honors keystone projects, one of which involved learning statistics beyond what is taught in Fisher’s courses and building a statistical help website for other students - one that is now used by her classmates as well as some faculty. Byrd has also been a Summer Research Fellow and has participated and presented her research at multiple conferences. Finally, she is a member of Psi Chi, the Psychology Honors Society.

“Natalie has really pushed me to make progress on my own research goals; she's always so prepared and always follows through. Honestly, it's difficult to keep up with her. I've had to work to match her level of dedication and organization. Working with Natalie has also forced me to get creative. She has really interesting ideas that I would have missed,” said Robinson.

Robinson, who has Byrd in her class and lab, emphasized that she is “insightful, resilient, driven” and will always remember her “eagerness to learn new things, and her resilience in the face of obstacles.”