Research Assistant
April 28th Showcase
I'm interning at a research program that focuses on adolescent behavioral health with Dr. Matt Aalsma and his team. Specifically, I'm working part-time as a research assistant for the C3 phase II study project, which is trying to understand and reduce the disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality for those who are most affected by the pandemic.
Our goal is to educate and motivate young people about COVID-19 basics, preventions, and provide them with community testing and vaccination resources. My role involves using a software called REDCap to collect data, conduct follow-up surveys, and assist other research assistants as needed.
Learning and Skills
I bring valuable skills to the professional workplace, including communication and a strong sense of independence. I use my communication skills to keep my team updated on progress, ask important questions, and adapt to any changes in scheduling or the project. While I am highly self-sufficient, I also work well in a team setting, utilizing my independence to grow and learn from trial and error. As I begin my first professional team experience through this internship, I am excited to continue practicing my communication skills and being a collaborative team member. Additionally, I recognize the importance of being receptive to feedback and criticism, and I am actively working on improving my ability to confront challenges and embrace failure as an opportunity for growth.
Through this internship, my goal is to achieve both professional and personal growth. I aim to assess my progress by measuring my confidence in the workplace and in team environments, determining how much I've developed during this experience. I also want to gain insights into the inner workings of professionalism and acquire knowledge and hands-on experience in a professional setting. Establishing a strong foundation of professionalism will be crucial for a successful future career. By the end of this internship, I will have a clear understanding of what it's like to work on a research study, possess essential teamwork skills, and be familiar with the expectations of a professional work environment. These valuable skills will benefit me in any career I pursue. Additionally, I hope to explore potential career paths, such as becoming a mental health counselor. The project I'm involved in focuses on improving COVID-19 awareness and its impact on youth and adults, providing me with insights that will be beneficial in my future role as a therapist. Understanding the effects of the pandemic will enable me to provide better care to my future patients. I am most excited about my personal growth throughout this internship.
Most of my classes focus on sociology, but I'm currently taking a biology class that covers viruses, including the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-1). This internship aligns well with my biology class as I'm learning about different variants of COVID-19, how it is transmitted, its spread, and the associated symptoms. The internship deepens my understanding of what I'm studying in class, reinforcing the concepts and knowledge I've gained. Additionally, the internship also connects with my future sociology statistics and research methods courses. By learning about research methods, data collection, storage, and interpretation during my internship, I'll be better prepared for my upcoming course.
Throughout my semester as an intern, I have learned the importance of effective communication in expressing my needs and desires at my internship site. During the initial goal-setting session with my supervisor, I mentioned the challenges I faced in balancing school, work, and social life, and expressed my desire to improve my time management skills. I am grateful that my supervisor took this into consideration and provided me with helpful tools such as a weekly planner and a whiteboard to assist me in achieving my internship goals. As the semester progressed, I have become more confident and familiar with my role at the internship site, gaining a better understanding of my responsibilities and what is expected of me.
One of my favorite experiences so far has been having my own little cubicle workspace at the office desk. It's a new and enjoyable experience for me. Additionally, I find great joy in indulging in multiple cups of tea throughout the workday. Combining the pleasure of drinking tea with my work brings me a sense of satisfaction and contentment.
The Workspace
Since I graduated during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this internship provided me with my first opportunity to work in an office space, which I truly enjoyed. At the start, and first half of the internship all the meetings were conducted online. However, I soon realized that I have a stronger preference for in-person meetings. The transition from virtual to face-to-face interactions made a significant difference in my overall experience. Being able to meet with my coworkers in person allowed me to establish the "name to the face" type of way and fostered a sense of connectedness within the team. The personal interactions, non-verbal cues, and spontaneous conversations that occurred during in-person meetings contributed to a more dynamic and productive work environment for me. Moving forward, I value the importance of utilizing technology for remote collaboration when necessary, but I also appreciate the unique benefits and productivity that in-person meetings bring. As a professional, I will strive to create a balance between virtual and face-to-face interactions, recognizing the value of personal connections and leveraging them to enhance collaboration and productivity in the workplace.
Success and Challenges
Success: The longer I worked at the internship, the more I understood about the project and, everything behind it. I felt successful the moment when it all sort of clicked for me; this is the work that we're doing, and here's why we're doing it, and this is the process, etc. I also felt successful anytime that I spoke out in meetings and added something to the discussions. There were other small moments of wins but the biggest success I had was when I got added on to the official project on the REDCap database. I went through so many dry practice run through and made many many errors before I knew what I was doing. And with the help of my coworkers, I was able to correct those errors and was successful at learning how to use REDCap for this project.
Challenges: A lot of challenges this year, and one of the biggest was my lack of confidence in the workplace. This is my first internship and it's my first time working in a setting that's not a restaurants or warehouse, so finding my footing in the professional workplace was and still continue to be a struggle. And something that I have to remind myself is that I do belong in this space (college, internship, etc.). After working a year at the internship, I have gained a small amount of confidence in myself. And that's by showing up to meetings, talking with my team, and staying on top of the materials.