Alumni SpotlightS

My name is Patricia Monique Sanchez, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) under the supervision of Dr. Heidi Kane on the social/personality track. I am an AWARDSS alum from 2020 and I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2021 with my B.S. in Psychological Sciences.

The most beneficial experience I received during the program was the ability to practice presenting my research in front of an audience. This experience allowed me to feel confident that I was an expert in my research topic during interviews and at in-person conferences. Had I not been a part of the AWARDSS program, I would not currently be in my Ph.D. program. As a first-generation Hispanic student, I navigated higher education with a lot of confusion and uncertainty of what I was doing. As an AWARDSS Fellow, this changed significantly, I had access to several courses which helped my writing skills, presentation skills, and GRE familiarization, all which were necessary in applying to graduate programs and are skills that I have built upon to be a successful doctoral student. 

As a fourth-year doctoral student I am currently in the dissertation phase and am set to defend my dissertation proposal by the end of Fall 2024, which will be about the development of an intervention to improve experiences of belonging and imposter phenomenon among first year graduate students. The journey thus far has been exhausting but rewarding. The exhaustion comes from responsibilities such as writing manuscripts/grants, managing a team of research assistants, collecting data, and other responsibilities. The rewarding aspect has been mentoring students who want to learn or apply to graduate programs and conducting meaningful research. It has been demanding and at times isolating; I have experienced moments of doubt and thought about leaving my program. Then I am reminded about why I wanted to pursue my doctoral degree...

During my time as an AWARDSS Fellow I was mentored by Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor and her postdoctoral student Dr. Jiah Yoo. Through their mentorship I was able to write strong personal and research statements and with the guidance from Dr. Yoo I was turned onto social psychology as my chosen research field. To this day I connect with Dr. Yoo at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Conference and she continues to be a big supporter of mine as I develop as an academic.

My name is Graham Bliss, and I recently graduated with a bachelor's in psychology and a minor in sociology. In the winter break before my last semester, I found the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) and was accepted into the AWARDSS program within UROC after putting my all towards the interviewing process. I had expected/hoped that the UROC AWARDSS program would help me gain the research experience, professional commitment, and self-driven dedication needed within most PhD programs. The UROC program has prompted growth in these areas and many others, as well as helped me identify many other important skills that I had previously been unaware of. 

Within the UROC AWARDSS program, I have been working on a research project with Dr. Jessica Andrews-Hanna and Mariam Hovannisyan, investigating individual differences between people’s imaginative thought, specifically comparing visual and verbal imagination and how the propensity to use one or the other may prove more useful for varying forms of instruction within education. Despite learning so much through research alone, AWARDSS has gone above and beyond by offering courses specifically related to research writing, making me much more confident in this subject. UROC also has provided me with the feedback and knowledge needed to apply to graduate programs through these additional courses. My CV is much more filled out and professional, and I have a clear direction for my future academic endeavors. Along with these courses and research experience, AWARDSS has also provided me with experience in public speaking and presenting. I had the opportunity to present during a poster session, and speak on a panel at APA! Without AWARDSS I would have never gained all of this much-needed experience, and even more so would be much more confused about everything associated with graduate school.

If it were not for the AWARDSS program, I do not think I would have been able to obtain employment in research. Before the program, I had yet to gain experience in research. After the program, I learned about the wonders and difficulties of working in research through professional and students in different fields, which prepared me for starting my career in research. The connections I made with professors and staff during my time in the program were most valuable. All UROC and AWARDSS staff and faculty were there to guide, assist, and provide valuable insight and mentorship about what conducting research is like. Prior to beginning my master’s at UA, I received a scholarship paying for my first year of graduate school, and a job offer to work conducting research with a professor in the same department as my AWARDSS mentor. Using many of the skills I learned through my AWARDSS experience and with my mentor, Dr. Verhoughstrate, a continued mentor of mine, I was able to provide technical research expertise to other environmental health researchers. I currently work as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. In this role, I help enroll patients into clinical trials so that they can receive potentially lifesaving treatment that they otherwise would not have access to. Although I do not intend to pursue a PhD, I plan to attend medical school and work in academic medicine so I can see patients and conduct public health research.

The most beneficial aspects of my time in the program were experiencing the mutual support available in a community of peers and learning the value of advocating for accessibility. The cohort of peers I was fortunate enough to have gone through the program with were instrumental in supporting one another through the good times and times of struggle - the same is true of my amazing community in my graduate program. It is with the camaraderie, empathy, understanding, laughter, and tears shared with these amazing individuals that each step of my graduate school journey has been attainable. Furthermore, it was with their support that I have found the confidence to speak up against barriers to access and advocate for further awareness of accessibility issues in graduate education. Without the research opportunities provided by the AWARDSS program, I do not believe I would have developed the confidence to work with researchers beyond my program and/or present within a conference setting as early in my graduate career. Having had the chance to work with a research advisor in another area of study, present my own research in a poster session, and be part of a panel at a national conference definitely helped prepare me for these vital aspects of graduate school. When one of my mentors introduced me to a program that fit my goals and presented the opportunity to work with some of the incredible faculty members that had been instrumental to my educational journey already, I was confident in my decision to pursue graduate studies with the Educational Psychology program at UA. After obtaining my master’s degree in Educational Psychology, I have continued to work toward my PhD in Educational Psychology. I am also working toward building my Rehabilitation Counseling minor into a second master’s/licensure and simultaneously working to complete my associates in Fine Arts with the intention of pursuing an Art Therapy certification. Together, I hope the combination of these areas of expertise will enhance my ability to encourage research in support of further incorporating artistic expression as a communication and learning resource within educational and clinical settings. Lastly, just as my peers encouraged my confidence in speaking up on issues of accessibility, [my mentor] was valuable to encouraging my growth as an advocate. Her empathy and appreciation for the need to increase accessibility for diverse populations not only helped my confidence in speaking up even when it may not be the “popular” opinion but also helped expand my awareness of areas within academia that would benefit from advocacy.

This profile was generated in 2023: The most beneficial part of the program was learning to appreciate the importance of peers as an important aspect of succeeding in the program and in grad school in general. The program really emphasized working with our cohort and this highlighted the benefit of support that also rings true in grad school. I don’t think I would ever have had the confidence to apply to doctoral programs if it wasn’t for the AWARDSS program. On top of this, I would not have been nearly as prepared for graduate school as I was after this program. University of Arizona was not my first choice [for graduate studies] because as a Tucsonan, I initially desired a change. However, I had met some faculty I would be working with in my grad program and really enjoyed having them as professors, so knowing my professors from my eventual home department really helped make the decision easier. Lastly, I would like to shout out Dr. Deil-Amen. She helped teach me more than I realized at the time. She helped me get a real feel for the responsibility associated with being a grad student while she also helped me to build many directly useful skills. It was great to take a class with her a few years after being her mentee as well!

This profile was generated in 2023: While I was beginning to appreciate the integral conceptual framework of the field of Educational Psychology during my undergraduate studies, it was not until I was admitted into the AWARDSS program, where I began to discover what would grow into the central reason for pursuing a graduate degree in the field; the love of carrying out research.

As a non-traditional student, my access and understanding of graduate school were very limited. Being a member of the AWARDSS community offered me invaluable opportunities to develop a pathway towards my doctoral degree that I may not have been able to access on my own. I was exposed to many lessons involved in the research process, including critical inquiry, research design, and mixed methods analysis. However, more than that I was offered opportunities for integral growth; learning how to self-advocate, applying integrity to my work, and connecting with other graduate students and the research community at large.