Moe Machida, Student Representative

Moe heard about sport psychology in a meeting at a swim team training camp when she was fifteen. She is originally from Kyoto, Japan, the center of Japanese traditions and culture. She decided to come to United States in 2002 to study sport psychology and explore life outside of her home country! Under the guidance of Dr. Carol Oglesby and Dr. Shane Frehlich, she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology, and began to pursue a Master’s degree in Sport & Exercise Psychology at Miami University, Ohio.

During her master’s program at Miami University, Moe participated in numerous activities, including team and individual consulting, teaching, and three semesters of practicum at the university’s Student Counseling Services. In June 2008, she finished her thesis, under the direction of Dr. Robin Vealey and Dr. Rose Marie Ward, titled “An Examination of Sources and Multidimensionality of Self-Confidence in Collegiate Athletes.” She also worked on several publications and presentations with Dr. Robin Vealey and Dr. Melissa Chase, including three AASP colloquium presentations, one of which Moe was first author.

Moe began her doctoral study at Michigan State University in the fall of 2008 under the direction of Dr. Deborah Feltz. For her teaching assistantship, she has taught an introduction to kinesiology and healthy lifestyle classes. She has been consulting with a triathlon club team. She is currently working on a new research project with a colleague and Dr. Feltz that examines resilience in athletes with physical disabilities. This project has been funded by a local foundation, Michigan Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame. She was on a research fellowship this summer for her project on women’s leadership in sport. She also received a travel grant from NASPSPA to present her research at the International Congress of Sport Psychology in Marrakech, Morocco, in June. 

Moe has been an AASP student member since 2004. She applied to be a regional student representative after her first annual conference in Miami, FL, 2006, and she has been serving as a Midwest regional student representative since that time. Moe is an active member of the AASP International Relations Committee, involved with the Student Diversity Award initiative, PEM (Performance Excellence Movement), and Leadership Pool Registry, and has been co-leading PPUMP (Proactive Peer Undergraduate Mentoring Program) for about two years. Also, she is preparing to serve as student editor of a new AASP online practitioner journal. In addition, she is now in the process of creating a new Special Interest Group (SIG) on international/cultural sport psychology with her AASP colleagues.

Moe’s research interests include confidence/self-efficacy, resilience, leadership, and disability sport. Conducting research, teaching, and consulting are Moe’s career goals. In the future, she is hoping to go back to her home country, Japan, and contribute to the field of sport psychology.