Experience as a Student Research Assistant

During the summer and fall of 2019, I worked as a student research assistant in the Marginalized Identity and Status Trauma (MIST) lab. I created the background information for the lab's research project, and regularly updated and managed the lab's website. Helping to start the research projects for this lab was challenging, as partnership with a local hospital fell through, so it was my responsibility to quickly research and formulate a new research topic and study. I helped to formulate the background information, IRB proposal, and study questions on the topic of transracial adoption.

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I also gained acceptance into the Suicide Prevention And Research Collaborative (SPARC) lab under the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Muehlenkamp. There, I participated in weekly lab meetings where we discussed research articles and practiced our statistical analysis skills. Now in lab, we have a "book club," where we schedule out dates to read a certain amount of chapters from our latest book. Currently, we are reading Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care. We also dedicate a portion of our meetings to collaborate on our various group projects. I am working with another student on a study involving self-injury in college students diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. We are planning on presenting our findings at our yearly research conference, Celebrating Excellence in Research and Creative Activity (CERCA) event.