My teaching and mentorship experience occurs in two realms: classrooms and research mentorship. Below, I describe my experience with each.
Classroom Experience
I have experience working in both undergraduate and graduate student classrooms. In 2016, I was a teaching assistant for more than 80 undergraduate students for SOCIOL 3302: Technology, Society, and Social Change (Undergraduate). I have also served twice as a teaching assistant for more than 20 graduate students in SOCIOL 6650: Categorical Data Analysis (Graduate).
Finally, I have also lectured (invited) on gender and gender-based violence for the undergraduate study abroad course Genocide and Its Aftermath in Rwanda.
Research Mentorship Experience
I work with both undergraduate and high school students in a mentorship capacity.
Undergraduate Students
(1) My mentorship work with undergraduate students exists in three realms. First, I supervise undergraduate students pursuing independent research projects. Currently, I supervise a student who won a $750.00 grant to examine the ways that Black women navigate “the talk” with their children about police.
(2) I also directly train and mentor several undergraduate research assistants; to date, I have worked with 32 undergraduate students in this capacity on a qualitative project that I co-lead with Sadé L. Lindsay. The students who work with me learn the following skills:
- Transcription
- Qualitative Coding
- Memo Writing
- Interview Techniques
- Recruitment strategies
- Data management
- Literature reviews
I work with each individual student to develop the capacities that best align with their post-graduate goals. Several of my students have gone on to enter graduate school in a variety of disciplines, including sociology, higher education, criminal justice, and nursing. One of my recent students, Kaelyn Sanders, won a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
(3) Finally, I work with the newly-founded Ohio State Sociology Department’s mentorship program, which seeks to connect graduate students with undergraduate students who are planning to further their academic career in graduate school. In my role as a mentor, I meet with undergraduate students to discuss the process of applying to graduate school, plan application timelines, and assist with application materials.
High School Students
I volunteer with Illinois Science & Technology Institute, a non-profit organization that connects high school students with STEM mentors. I guide high school students through the entire process of conducting an independent research project, from determining a topic to data analysis to presentation of results. This program gives high school students the opportunity to conduct research early. Because the organization is non-profit, it allows mentors to connect with students who otherwise would not have access to research opportunities.