About Me

Teamwork

At my internship, teamwork is constantly important. Members of the team are rarely in the office at the same time, making it important to communicate clearly and promptly about issues or events that are going on. We frequently use email, text, and Google Calendar to coordinate with everyone and keep everything on track. There are many deadlines that we have to meet as we rely on research grants and funding in order to operate, meaning we have to work efficiently to keep up.

My Roles: My main roles include data entry and verification, batching and tracking the completion of family intervention surveys, calling and emailing families, and making charts.

Personally, I have to keep my strengths and weaknesses in mind when I am working with a team.

My strengths

• I am good at adjusting to whatever role is necessary for the team to work efficiently

• I will offer up ideas when asked

• I am a good mediator but I tend to avoid confrontation unless it is necessary

• I learn quickly when taught new skills

• I work to maintain a positive perspective

• I am a hard worker

My weaknesses

• I get anxious when I am unsure of what to do

• I get overwhelmed if I think ahead to all of the work I need to get done in the future

• I struggle with staying focused for long periods of time

• I tend to overlook and misread important information when it is written, especially in larger written sections

• writing in large quantities

• effective communication when I'm anxious

With my weaknesses in mind, I have to be proactive to make sure none of them interfere with my ability to do my tasks. I manage my anxiety by conferring with my boss when I am unsure what to do either through going to her office or sending her emails. I make schedules and checklists to manage the feeling of being overwhelmed by tasks. I take short breaks when working for long periods so I am more productive while working. I have to force myself to slow down, enlargen text, and reread sections frequently to make sure I have read it all correctly.

The previous weakness is why I think I struggle so much with writing. Writing is an area I used to think I was very adept at. However, the older I get the more I realize that while the information I write makes sense to me, it isn't always as cohesive to other people. I tend to write in two extremes: overexplained run-ons or underexplained bullet points. This makes it difficult for me to convey concepts to others. Now that I am more aware of this weakness, I use a read-aloud tool that helps by reading back to me the texts that I have written. This makes it easier for me to see my errors and correct them. I also use larger, more colorful, and more spaced-out text when writing denser essays. I always have to be more conscientious when writing to make sure my points are explained in the correct amount.

Strengths at PACER: I think the biggest areas of strength that I brought with me are problem-solving and efficiency. However, I think since joining PACER I've gained communication skills through phone calls and meetings as well as technological skills from working in Excel, RedCap, and troubleshooting other tools.

Challenges at PACER: With all of the growth I've done, I also think that I still have room to grow with communication. The biggest challenges are always with group meetings or survey calls. My coordinator and I have created systems and scripts to make the survey calls easier for me, however, I still stutter when I feel nervous. I continue to brainstorm effective ways to overcome this social challenge.

How does this apply to my professional goals?

Based on the skills sets I have above, especially the ones I have examined more closely since joining my LHSI site, I am currently questioning what career path is right for me. I originally wanted to do an MD/DO career path, but based on my interests, it now seems less fitting to my personal goals and strengths. I am now actively looking into Ph.D. qualifications and programs to see if this is a better fit. I am also applying to lab jobs to see if a lab setting is more suitable for me. Overall, I am more aware of my strengths and weaknesses as a professional thanks to this internship which has helped me further plan for and adjust my future goals.

Outside of LHSI

Currently, I work for the Bepko Learning Center as a mentor for the General Biology II course. For this job, I run a recitation class once a week for 75 minutes. I also attend weekly meetings, set up review sessions, tutor once a week, and grade assignments. My goal for this job is to improve my leadership skills. I applied for and was accepted to the Student Coordinator role there next semester.

Past Experiences

Below is a timeline of some internships and/or jobs I have done over the years. Click on the down arrows to learn more about each one!