My Experiences & Skills

Through the LHSI internship, I have made great strides in skills of grantsmanship, scientific writing, primary research, and manuscript drafting. I have identified new strengths in the particular intersection of communication and health, an interest of mine founded by the experiences below. I still have areas to grow as both a writer and researcher to further expand my understanding and expertise in the complex fields, however I have learned new essential skills of project management, team communication, and leadership.

WORK EXPERIENCES

As a student at IUPUI, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the The University Writing Center, a community of IUPUI writers that offer support and resources to other students writers. By working one-on-one with writers I have consulted since August 2020, I have learned to integrate written and oral communication skills in order to build constructive dialogue and feedback with students regarding a wide variety of course assignments and subjects. I have also developed extensive skills for collaborating in a team environment through my UWC projects related to language & culture diversity and disability studies. This year, I presented a workshop on Disability Justice at the East Central Writing Centers Assocation Conference at MSU and will also be publishing a paper through the Writing Lab Newsletter in their special summer issue. This experience has influenced not only my own collaboration, presentation and communication skills, but it has also inspired me to continue integrating my interests in writing within a broader social context.

Furthermore, my 2021 summer internship at the Regenstrief Institute introduced me to the discipline of clinical research, its significant social impact, and my own sense of belonging to this field given my set of skills. I worked with Dr. Jenny Maratt of the Center for Health Services Research on a qualitative study of Crohn's disease patients' experiences with colonoscopy. Dr. Maratt was an inspiration for me to continue pursuing research during my university career and the LHSI internship. Through collaborating with Dr. Maratt frequently throughout the summer, I learned various clinical research skills such as primary data collection, the process of a literature review, survey development and distribution, qualitative data entry and data dictionary design, and the use of research software such as Cerner and REDCap.

Prior to these fundamental experiences, I provided independent care for children ages 3-13. This position was primarily self-motivated and self-organized, requiring a sense of personal confidence. I was able to build skills by communicating effectively with families to ensure individuals needs were met, including tutoring, looking after more than one child at once, and working with a foster family within DCS. This especially allowed me to improve my interpersonal skills. Through this experience, I also independently managed financials and outreach to secure continual and satisfactory experiences for both parties. This experience was foundational for improving my own confidence in my ability to work effectively independently and in a diverse team environment.

Community Engagement

I have always loved soccer, but unfortunately I am not able to play anymore due to two ACL injuries. Despite this challenge, I have been able to experience a similar joy of sharing soccer with young players and inspiring them to be better. From March 2019-July 2021, I was a youth soccer trainer at Cutters Soccer for teams of ages 5-12 and immensely enjoyed developing and implementing practice plans through strong communication with players, parents and club to ultimately promote joy through soccer and develop beginning skills. Then, I was able to take a step further and work as the assistant coach of the Bloomington High School North girls soccer team for the 2020 and 2021 season. At this experience, I assisted in guiding players' skills and team communication in collaboration with a composite team of coaches to ensure optimal performance of the players. I also played a major role managing COVID-19 policies following school and state protocols through effective communication with leadership to ensure the team’s safety, while certified according to the IHSAA and Indiana State Law. These themes of teamwork and communication are reflective of my many other volunteer experiences.

As mentioned previously, I study disability justice and advocate for accessible services through my work at the IUPUI University Writing Center. My passion to be a voice for the disabled community derived from my own personal experience with my disability, but mainly the valuable relationships that were built as a soccer and track & field coach at Monroe County Special Olympics. From March 2019-October 2020, I was fortunate to interact and evolve relationships with athletes. I assisted in building communication, teamwork and responsibility skills among athletes while building my own coaching and positive rapport skills as well. A particular highlight was supervising the Indiana 2020 Summer Olympic Games!

Volunteering

Although my senior year of high school was cut short due to COVID-19, I still felt satisfied with my ability to get the most out of my leadership position as an Editor-in-Chief for The Optimist, Bloomington High School South's newspaper. Despite writing for the newspaper for only one semester, I was able to be promoted to this position and truly envelop a sense of community, leadership and public improvement by writing multiple stories as an editor and staff writer. My staff profile represents the plethora of inspiring stories, experiences and thoughts that I was able to gather from within just one school. Working on the school newspaper allowed me to truly enhance my writing and public engagement skills, while also highlighting the true importance of reliable public communication and my own position in its impact.

Through an organized class service during the 2021 spring semester, I was fortunate to assist Ms. Lisa Hayes of the Indianapolis organization, Reaching to End Disparities Alliance, which aims to provide resources and supports to women of color who have been diagnosed or are survivors of breast cancer. The new Resources page was revitalized using research findings that I transcribed with a team of peers. This experience taught me about the value of effectively communicating complex, scientific information in order to ultimately improve the lives of community members.

From October 2020-Januray 2021, I performed as a Community Health Assistant at the Northwest Crooked Creek Community Development Corporation to assist in rebuilding a business by learning new project management and communicative skills in order to re-establish the success of a non-profit organization. My main goal at this volunteer experience was to create accessible literature for residents, non-profit members and local government bodies by utilizing primary research & health literacy skills during this process. My work at the CDC was also achieved through collaborating with team members to create and promote a comprehensive plan for the organization. This is another example of the satisfactory work I have been able to achieve by integrating my skills in writing and primary research.

Study Abroad

Since 2015, I have been studying Japanese, which has introduced me to another form of linguistic understanding and appreciation. As a junior in high school, I had the unique opportunity to attend IU and complete their first-year Japanese language course with strong grades and a stronger desire to continue my studies. During the 2019 summer, I was fortunate enough to join the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages on a six-week study abroad trip to Osaka, Japan. Studying abroad in Japan was a challenge in that I was living in an unfamiliar country, unable to speak the language I grew up with, but rather one I was still learning. The experience itself not only dramatically advanced my language skills, it taught me a valuable lesson in the importance of taking risks and how it could be used to encourage my own learning. I'm looking forward to continuing my study abroad education through a trip to Sweden with IUPUI this summer! This experience will aim to improve my understanding of Sweden's healthcare system and, in contrast, the U.S. healthcare system.

As elaborated by my previous experiences, I enjoy working in a team environment while being able to maintain my own independent responsibilities. I look forward to continuing to help communities by developing my skills further in communication and research.

Teamwork

From playing on a soccer field or navigating a classroom in a whole new language, my experiences have helped me develop a true sense of value towards teamwork. This year, I primarily worked with Dr. McHenry, but I was also able to branch relationships with students, faculty members, research professionals, international health providers, grant writers, and more. Working in a team with diverse ties allowed me to grow as a reliable, accountable, hardworking, and caring team member.

When I first began in the fall, I was confident in my collaborative strengths on the soccer pitch or in the classroom, but diffident about how I would succeed as a team member in the professional workplace, especially when leading a presentation or communicating respectfully across positions. As I grew in confidence as a writer, I also found that being communicative, open to collaboration, compassionate, timely, and open-minded are team strengths of mine. I feel more competent as a professional in the health sciences and in the field of public health communications, both of which are pillared by partnerships across organizations and communities. I hope to not only create a successful outcome when I work in a team, but also to create an environment that is collaborative and welcoming.