Megan Kirsch ’27

Megan Kirsch isn’t waiting for graduation to put her psychology training to good use.

The nontraditional student from Lewis Run is working with Dr. Rebecca McHugh, associate professor of psychology, to help fellow college students who have an ADHD diagnosis by building a peer-led support program from the ground up before she’s even earned her degree.

It’s a bigger need than people might expect. Students with ADHD are more likely to struggle with the unstructured demands of college and less likely to graduate, according to the National Institutes of Health. A 2021 World Health Organization study found roughly 16 percent of students worldwide have ADHD, which can make it harder to manage time, break projects into steps and stay focused in class.

Kirsch has seen those struggles up close for years as a behavioral health technician with Beacon Light Behavioral Health Systems, working one-on-one with students who have ADHD or autism spectrum diagnoses. “I love it,” she said. “And now, studying psychology, I get so excited about learning techniques to help with what I’ve already seen in real life.”

Her own path to a degree wasn’t a straight line. After two years at Buffalo State University, Kirsch took a break and returned to Bradford, where she coached gymnastics and later became a mother. Her work at Beacon Light pushed her to want to know more — and 17 years after leaving Buffalo State, she enrolled at Pitt-Bradford to study psychology and minor in coaching.

“When I came back, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to manage everything,” she said. “It was a big decision.” Her mother, Donna Nelligan-Barrett, who earned her own degree in social sciences as a nontraditional student at Pitt-Bradford in 2013, became a close mentor. Her husband, Dan Aiello, and dad, Paul Kirsch, were supportive as well.

“Definitely could not do this without their support,” she said.

Kirsch didn’t just manage — she thrived, moving to full-time study while working and coaching, finishing her senior capstone ahead of schedule and keeping a 4.0 GPA. That capstone, comparing pharmacological and behavioral interventions for children with ADHD, found that while medication helps in the short term, long-term success depends on skills like organization, time management and planning.

That research became the foundation for ADjustED, a peer-led group Kirsch launched with McHugh’s guidance to teach those skills to students with ADHD. Using a Summer Undergraduate Research Program grant last summer, she researched effective interventions and designed a 12-week program, then guided it through Pitt’s Institutional Review Board with McHugh’s help. She also collaborated with Jeremy Callinan, instructor of computer information systems and technology, and his students to build a mobile app to help participants track their exercises.

By spring, Kirsch had recruited a test group and was co-leading sessions with McHugh, refining the program after each meeting based on feedback. “We got some really good feedback,” she said. “The students who came last year loved it,” she said, adding that some plan to return for a second round.

This fall, Kirsch will recruit a new cohort to run the program again in spring 2027. It’s open to anyone with or without an ADHD diagnosis. Looking ahead, she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in counseling and continue working with elementary school children.

“My main goal is to see elementary school children with ADHD struggle less,” she said.

Anyone interested in taking part in the Spring 2027 ADjustED program can contact Kirsch at mak835@pitt.edu.
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