4 Months In

In June of 2021, I made the long journey from Wisconsin to Georgia to begin the next chapter of my life. The day after moving in, I began my position as a research coordinator in the Clinical Affective Neuroscience (CAN) lab.

Not only have I transitioned across the country, but I have also transitioned from the role of student to post-baccalaureate employee. Being within the university climate brings comfort to me throughout this change- it reiterates the notion that everyone is still learning and adapting within their own environment, and that mistakes only fuel our progress forward.

In my few months at UGA, my knowledge of schizophrenia has strengthened, and I have been introduced into the subset of clinical high risk (CHR) research. The most impactful experiences I have had so far would include individual and group discussions with my supervisor, Dr. Gregory Strauss. As an expert in the CHR/schizophrenia field, he is passionate about providing guidance to members of his lab, and encourages us to explore niches within severe psychopathology. While Dr. Strauss's focus is on negative symptomatology, I have had the opportunity to research the effect of social security receipt on such symptoms within the schizophrenia population.