research

SHARP – June edition

This summer, I am blessed to have earned a spot in the 2019 cohort of the Summer HIV/AIDS Research Program (SHARP) with the San Francisco Department of Public Health! Six students were selected to come on board with SFDPH. Ninety six people applied and there were multiple interview rounds. Having applied for the 2018 cycle and not making it through to even the first round, I was pleasantly surprised and grateful for making it this far and succeeding in my search for an internship that would address my needs and interests holistically.

I applied for SHARP because of its various components.
First and foremost, it helps young and passionate individuals who come from underrepresented communities and “humble beginnings” to pursue public health careers and address health disparities. Scholars receive mentorship from multiple people, including distinguished researchers. Scholars get to work with these mentors on their projects as well as conduct their own individual projects based on their interests and skills. Weekly seminars, networking events, social outings, and field trips were also included to make for a busy but productive and prosperous summer.

In addition, this program takes place in San Francisco, a city that was ground zero for the HIV epidemic in the 1980s/90s in America. There is much history here as well as public health innovations and programs that I would not find anywhere else. Furthermore, I wanted to challenge myself by going to a different city to live and work. This opportunity would serve me well in my career advancement and exploration as well as personal development. With all that SHARP has to offer, I also had much to bring to the table: my passions, skills, character traits, and excitement.

WEEK ONE

6/1 – I flew into Oakland on June 1st, the day after I returned to the United States from my study abroad. (I saw my family for about 12 hours). The flights went well and I met kind strangers on the plane rides. From Oakland airport, I easily made my way to the BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit. The instructions given to me by my supervisor, the director of SHARP, were straight-forward. When I arrived at the downtown Berkeley station about an hour later, I then lugged my two pieces of luggage, about 40 to 50 pounds worth, while wearing a backpack and purse, to my apartment. It was certainly an endeavor but I found my way to the place I would stay for 11 weeks.

My apartment came furnished with a mattress, bed frame, desk, chair, and dresser. I had to provide my own sheets, pillows, and curtains. I could not find curtains anywhere in the area so I used a bed sheet and temporarily hung jackets and cardigans. (Amazon has great tapestries, which is where I got mine!)

6/2 – On Sunday, I tried to find a library that was open on University of California – Berkeley’s campus so I could do work, but all were closed. I discovered their student union, which was open and had a dozen students working on their laptops. I typed up a reflection essay for a grant I received for my study abroad. Then I purchased sweatshirts at a campus apparel store; the city of Berkeley was cooler than I anticipated. I did not pack as warmly as I should have.

This map of the BART system is posted online, in booklets, and displayed on the trains.

The first week of SHARP is an Orientation/Introduction week. As I was learning to use BART and adjusting to San Francisco’s and Berkeley’s different environments and weather and people, I learned about the SFDPH and what I would be doing over the summer.

6/3 – First Day of SHARP!
I was brimming with excitement and nervousness for what I consider to be my first ever internship. While I have had a myriad of experiences with research, volunteering, and work, this is my first formal internship program. I wore a striped sweater and blue slacks for my first day. Since I expected to acquire some papers for the first day, I carried my backpack.

Two other interns met up with me in the morning so we could commute to work together. We arrived early and got to meander around the blocks surrounding our office building. Then we made it to our location and greeted our program supervisor! We went around introducing ourselves. Most of the day, we went over pages of hiring paperwork and we completed online trainings related to ethical research practices, privacy and safety, and compliancy. Part of internships and jobs require intensive paperwork in the beginning!! Complete these in a timely manner and fill them out accurately. Truly take the time to look it over and understand what the papers involve.

We had to fill out tax forms as part of our employment. As young adults, the process can be confusing. Do not hesitate to ask others for help!

6/4 – We had a meeting with two SHARP alumni. This was very informative and they told us candidly about their experiences. Some important tips for surviving and thriving in SHARP are to do self care, and schedule that in if needed. Reach out for support from your cohort. We are in this together and we can help each other out.

6/5 – On this day, we received an intro to public health and to SFDPH. We also received a tour of the building. SFDPH has different divisions and centers, so it was a good exposure to see how the department’s individual units operate.

For lunch, scholars and most of the mentors had a meet and greet lunch, which was pizza from The Market.

6/6 – The scholars toured the San Francisco City Clinic, which has served the Bay Area since 1911 by providing affordable sexual health services to all in need. Our tour guide was a practicing physician who encouraged us to ask questions and also asked us questions to test our knowledge and critical thinking. I learned new things from this experience, including increasing my awareness of the types of testing for different STIs.

Some fun facts:
– Those who are diagnosed with HIV get placed into care within five days of diagnosis.
– Chocolate agar helps gonorrhea cells grow and the other bacteria dies so that technicians can determine if someone has gonorrhea or not.
– I heard about the 2-1-1 method for PrEP the first time.
“PrEP 2-1-1 is named for its schedule of dosing: 2 pills are taken 2-24 hours before sex, 1 pill 24 hours after the first dose, and 1 final pill 24 hours later. Clinicians only recommend PrEP 2-1-1 to people having anal sex, since the medication may not reach high enough levels in vaginal or front hole tissue.
Remember: It is important trans men, women and other people with vaginas or front holes to take PrEP every day as prescribed in order for it to offer full protection..” Source: https://www.sfaf.org/resource-library/prep/
– People get two tests to confirm that they have HIV. If the first test is positive, a second test is done to confirm.
– I also heard about dark-field microscopes for the first time! Specimens appear bright against a dark background

http://sfcityclinic.org/

Next, we walked to Ward 86 at San Francisco General Hospital, where we met up with Dr. Phillip Coffin, a Co-Principal Investigator of SHARP, to discuss HIV and STIs and his experiences as a physician related to the field. This ward was the one of the first to treat patients during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is renowned worldwide for care and research. As Dr. Coffin spoke, I tapped away at my phone to take notes.

Here are several facts I would like to share:
– HPV (human papilloma virus) causes cancer such as cervical cancer, but rates of this cancer are already plummeting “fabulously,” says Coffin. He thinks pap smears will be unnecessary later on down the road.
– Hepatitis B and C can also cause cancer.
– I heard about Castleman’s Disease for the first time; this rare disorder can affect people of any age but usually people middle-age and up.
– Repeated constipation can lead to colon cancer.
– Cancerous tumors can be solid or liquid. Liquid tumors are blood tumors and can be everywhere, since blood runs throughout the body. Leukemia and lymphoma would fall into that category. There tends to be higher cases of lymphoma in people living with HIV. For liquid tumors, full body therapy is needed. I can imagine it takes such an enormous toll on the body.

Source: AIDS Info, NIH.gov

– HIV first tries to go towards the gut and attack the large amount of immune cells there.
– Acute HIV can mean CD4 cell counts drop significantly, and the diversity of immune cells get wiped out. The human body is then at higher risk for different viruses and it cannot remember what it has been exposed to.
– Two people have been cured of HIV through stem cell transplants that are very invasive and fail most of the time. Some people may have died trying to get transplants. There must be a genetic match. White blood cells get taken out and stem cells get put in.

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/06/104005/sfghs-ward-86-pioneering-hivaids-care-30-years
https://zuckerbergsanfranciscogeneral.org/

6/7 – Our morning session entailed an Intro to Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present, by Harriet A. Washington. Before this meeting, scholars read the first few chapters of the book as well as a scholarly report on the state of Black Americans and their health in America, tying in impacts related to education, morbidities and mortalities, and housing. We spoke about what we found salient or shocking from the readings.

This book may come as a shock to many people, but it is necessary to bring this into conversations to create social change that is deserved by affected communities.

The contents of the book were not entirely new to me, as I had learned a bit about exploitation of Black Americans’ bodies throughout America’s history during my schooling so far. Nevertheless, I was deeply frustrated and troubled at how physicians and other stakeholders in the slave trade exploited Black Americans’ bodies for not only labor, but for medicine. These enslaved peoples had no rights or say in what was to happen to them; they were stripped of their dignity and oftentimes their clothes. It was horrifying to read the book and visualize in my head the unspeakable atrocities committed by folks who believed in white supremacy, eugenics, racism, and more.

Despite white people in America viewing Black Americans as inferior in intelligence and other attributes, and of a different species entirely, these racists were fascinated by Black bodies and wanted to do research on them to help forward medicine. They wrote about their findings in medical journals that were only accessible by white male doctors. Many of their arguments for the experimentation and exploitation were illogical; if Blacks were nothing like whites, how could the research results be applicable or translated?

I am slowly getting through the book. It evokes much emotion out of me and I hope that others read this book to understand more about America’s history and how the field of medicine has benefited greatly from unwilling bodies. It really makes people think about the narratives we are told in school and what was hidden.

In the afternoon, we toured Gladstone Institute on UCSF’s Mission Bay campus. The afternoon was divided into visits to different labs. We spoke with researchers and interns at the facility.

Science is such a broad field and a degree leads to nebulous pathways.

https://gladstone.org/

WEEKEND:
By the end of the week, I was relieved.
On Saturday, I tidied up the apartment and while helping to water plants and weed the gardens, I made a friend in my apartment complex. It turns out that she is an intern at Gladstone for the summer, so I will see her around! We later went out for a meal, explored the area where we were living, and got bubble tea. That evening, I did laundry.
On Sunday, I attended a BBQ at the house of one of the SHARP mentors! It was a great opportunity to relax in an informal setting and meet working professionals. I also read part of a manual on HIV.

This weekend, the Bay Area underwent a heat wave that warranted a public health alert in advance. SFDPH employees and interns received emails warning us to prepare for the wave.

The CDC provides an infographic for heat protection!

WEEK TWO

6/10 – Today’s session was Introduction to Research Concepts. It was presented at a calm pace and I felt relaxed. Research is divided into qualitative and quantitative methods; a combination of these two is called mixed methods. I liked that numerous examples were given.

We took a trip to UCSF for a quick tour of the medical center and its cafeteria, and the CAPS floor in Mission Hall.

https://prevention.ucsf.edu/

6/11 – At UCSF Mission Hall, I attended my first Town Hall meeting.

Then I met my mentor for the first time! I was ready with a list of questions to ask her regarding her personal life and her professional trajectory. We went over our Mentor and Mentee Agreement. We discussed goals, expectations, modes of communication, and what we plan to do over the summer – that is, what project(s) we work on and what outcomes to expect by August. I scanned this document and copied it to my mentor and to my program supervisor for their records. My mentor and I scheduled our meetings for the next two weeks.

6/12 – The Substance Use Pt 1 session was informative and eye-opening.

Swapping common phrases that stigmatize people who use substances can make a profound impact on public perceptions and subsequent actions from individual to institutional. Photo from https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/topics/addictions/

We got our SFDPH badges! We also took group photos and individual headshots. These photos will be used in a flyer to advertise for SHARP’s symposium in August.

The SHARP cohort is looking sharp! Fun Fact: City Hall was rebuilt after the great earthquake and fire in 1906. It took two years to finish this current building.

Scholars gave mini presentations on ourselves and things we liked or are passionate about for a maximum of 5 minutes. I talked about some of my favorite foods, musical artists, and TV shows. Another scholar discussed his involvement with sex education during college and how that experience has shaped his career aspirations. Another peer described the places she wanted to visit in the future. One of my peers shared her YouTube channel and how her videos center around lifestyle, including her dorm room in college, her outfits, and her spring break. Next, a scholar talked about his personal life and the different identities/roles he has as a brother, student, and more. Finally, a peer discussed his involvement with a summer program that prepares high school students to be community leaders and competitive applicants for college! These presentations were personal and fun.

6/13 – This day was spent doing readings and taking notes.

6/14 – On this day, scholars submitted timesheets to be approved so that we can get our paychecks on time! Our morning session was a presentation by a former SHARPie and current community programs manager of Bridge HIV, which is based in our building of SFDPH.

According to their website, Bridge HIV is “a global leader in HIV prevention research, working with Bay Area and international communities to discover effective HIV prevention strategies.”

Bridge HIV is a grant-funded research unit that seeks to find ways to prevent HIV infection and related diseases both locally and globally. From what I understand, Bridge has different clinical trials as well as different phases of research studies to eventually discover a vaccine or some type of preventive measure like PrEP.

In the evening, after work, I watched a nature documentary called The Serengeti Rules (2018) with another scholar and her mentor. I was thankful to have been invited to this screening, which was special as one of the scientists featured in this documentary was able to attend this event and answer questions from the moderator and audience. I learned new things about keystone species and more about different types of animals like sea otters, urchins, kelp, and wildebeest.

This beautiful film captures different ends of the world and allows us to view some of the most rare and vulnerable species. It sheds light on the interactions between species and the influence of human behavior on entire ecosystems.

WEEKEND: On Saturday, I completed three hours of work shift around the complex. I vacuumed carpeted hallways and weeded a small section of the garden in the back. After that, I went thrifting with a fellow Scholar. This lasted for hours and I have a newfound love for Buffalo Exchange, which offers affordable and trendy clothing! (Tip: Bring a reusable bag with you at all times! My clothes fit into my tote so I didn’t have to purchase a bag). My friend and I then tried Bongo Burger for dinner. It was a productive day since I added to my professional wardrobe. Sunday, on the other hand, does not stick in my memory.

WEEK THREE

6/17 – SHARP’s session on HIV 101 took place at GLIDE, about 20 minutes away from the office. Since 1963, GLIDE has served people in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco with compassion and care, along with social justice in mind. Their services are far-reaching and address the social determinants of health that every individual needs, such as food, housing assistance, healthcare, and family services. GLIDE aims to address and alleviate poverty and overall suffering.

What I got from this session was that people living with HIV take three pill regimens. In the 1990s, it used to be 15-20 pills. Some people still take quite a lot of pills. In 1993, medications for children living with HIV came about. People also donate their bodies to science to help scientists find a cure for HIV.

More information: https://www.thewellproject.org/hiv-information/care-and-treatment-children-living-hiv
https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/25/82/hiv-and-children-and-adolescents

GLIDE’s logo is an orange heart. This organization wants to have an unconditionally loving community.

https://www.glide.org/

6/18 – I spent most of the day reading more chapters of Medical Apartheid and enhancing my knowledge of the unjust medical history of America. In my notebook, I jotted down powerful points and facts. However, that day, I had trouble concentrating and felt so fatigued. My self care skills are not up to par. Self care is important at any stage of life, and it is increasingly difficult to perform and maintain as a person gets older and more independent.

6/19 – We had a Meet and Greet with other interns from the Department of Public Health. They are at different buildings in the city, but within walking distance. We did a familiar icebreaker called Concentric Circles. One set of people stood in a circle facing outward. Surrounding and facing these people were the other set of interns and staff. This outer circle of individuals would rotate around to the next person after each round. Some questions that were asked were: “When did you first notice your race?,”  “Talk about an instance when you were stereotyped,” “Describe the neighborhood you grew up in,” and “Describe who you were taught to trust and not to trust growing up.” These questions were

This diagram illustrates Concentric Circles. The “B” group remains in their spots while the “A” group members rotate. Sometimes people use numbers 1 and 2 instead of letters.

Following the activity, I briefly stopped at a Juneteenth rally at City Hall’s front steps.
Then I attended a Juneteenth feast and celebration at UC Berkeley’s Black Resource Center.

For more information on this holiday: http://juneteenth.com/
That afternoon, I bought more work-appropriate shoes but later on did not like them. Tip: Always keep the receipt!

6/20 – I spent a good portion of the day at UCSF. There, I had an informational interview with a researcher who worked with my mentor on a research project before. She provided some tidbits of advice from her experiences so far. One piece of wisdom she shared was that confidence is key.

Right after that, I went to an office hours/working session with Dr. Conroy. She is one of the SHARP mentors for this year. The mentors for the 2019 cohort want to be accessible to the other mentees, not just the scholar that they are spending the most time with. They are trying to be a team of mentors, and since some mentors are out of the office at different points during the summer, the mentors want to make sure that there is at least one mentor that the mentees can seek out and talk to about their research progress and other concerns. Dr. Conroy gave us a refresher on Dedoose.

After having lunch at the medical center cafeteria, I met with my mentor. We discussed the projects and my thoughts on the readings and then she assigned new tasks for me. When I write down notes from our meetings, I use a highlighter to underline the “action items.” I also got access to the Drop Box to access transcripts, the codebook, and analyses.

That evening, I did my best to prepare my 5Ws and 1H for the Works In Progress session the following day. By this time, scholars are expected to know what their research question is (or some ideas for it), who are the participants being studied, what type of research it is (qualitative, quantitative, etc.), when the study was conducted, where it took place, and why this research is relevant and valuable. Furthermore, how did the research happen? For example, were there questionnaires or focus groups?

Remember these words when researching a topic!

6/21 – During our Works-In-Progress session, led by Jonathan, each scholar took a turn at explaining their project. As a scholar talked out loud, Jonathan wrote an outline on the white board. He asked us questions to gain clarity and to help us think about our projects. He offered us suggestions for going forward with our research.

After the session, one of the scholars and I had lunch while watching the movie Naz and Maalik. This 2015 American drama film covers a summer afternoon of two closeted gay Muslim teenagers. These two fall under suspicion of an FBI agent. People affiliated with SFDPH attended this film and some remained for the discussion afterwards. One point made was that the teen boys were both black, which was visible to others. One wore a headpiece that indicated to others that he was Muslim. It was likely a combination of these two identities that made the FBI agent weary of these teens and wonder about their actions or intentions. This was a very interesting film and throughout it, I was on edge because I was nervous that something unfortunate would happen to these two young men who can attract negative attention just for their identities. In American society, certain identities such as Black Americans or Muslim Americans can be targeted and perceived to be threats to safety and wellbeing.

In the evening, I went looking for clothes by myself in a shopping center in San Francisco. I had to return home before it got dark.

WEEKEND:

6/22 – After doing homework, I did laundry, which I designated for Saturdays.

6/23 – My Sunday was super fun and fulfilling, as I was able to visit numerous places on my bucket list. My oldest cousin flew in to enjoy San Francisco and we started by looking around Chinatown. We ate dim sum for breakfast in one of the parks where elderly folks gather to play chess and joke around. We looked around in some stores and got bubble tea. We also went to Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square, and Palace of Fine Arts. All in all, I walked 9.7 miles! From this excursion, I saw different parts of San Francisco. I really liked Chinatown and will return to explore more of the culture and community.

WEEK FOUR
6/24 – The group had a Stats 101 session! Sometimes there’s statisticians for research teams but it’s always helpful to be familiar with statistics to do yourself.

After lunch, I had a one-on-one check-in with Jessica, my supervisor. Then I resumed my research.

6/25 – We had our first payday! I was very thrilled to hear that. I had a morning meeting with my mentor and another of her summer research interns at Asian Health Services, a community health center in Oakland’s Chinatown. AHS was established in 1974 and primarily serves Asians and Asian Americans, but they will not turn away people of other races who are seeking care. Services range from behavioral to family planning to urgent care. Since 1985, AHS has operated an HIV program. My mentor, colleague, and I spoke with the HIV program manager to gain an understanding of what AHS is, what their HIV program does, and the demographics of the communities they work with.

AHS has evolved from a one-room clinic to a comprehensive health center. https://asianhealthservices.org/history-of-ahs/

6/26 – After our Quantitative Research session, I worked more on my PowerPoint and research.

6/27 – I met with my mentor at UCSF to touch base on my progress and my questions. Then we held a team meeting, where we went over an interview transcript in detail. My mentor gave us more assignments and deadlines for them. Right after lunch, I had another one-on-one meeting with my mentor to continue asking her some questions. She shared her experiences and insights regarding the path of Ph.D. and being a researcher whose salary is dependent on grants. This talk gave me more to think about as I contemplate what my steps following graduation could possibly be.

At the end of the day, I went with three other SHARPies to a Pride Nightlife event at California Academy of Sciences!  For a few hours, we promoted Bridge HIV by recruiting a target population for HIV prevention research and increasing people’s awareness of their organization, their work, and most importantly, HIV and sexual health. We had a spin-the-wheel where we asked people trivia questions in order to get water bottles and T-shirts.

6/28 – Mini Presentation Day!
Each scholar was to present a PowerPoint on their research project for no more than five minutes. We went in the order that we are to go in for our actual presentation on Symposium Day, August 9th.

Our mini presentations went well! I am very impressed by my peers and they motivate me to be my best self. After each scholar was done speaking, we clapped and asked questions about the project. Next, we provided positive feedback and shared what we liked. Then we offered opportunities that we saw for improvement. We critiqued on PowerPoint layout, fonts, images, colors, presentation style, eye contact, body language, and other factors. This session was something I was internally groaning about, but it went better than I thought.

There are countless templates on Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides. Scholars are required to use a template provided by the SFDPH. Nevertheless, our slides will still differ from each individual!

On my turn, I stayed under the time limit. I felt like I kept a good pace and did not glance at the slides too much. Some takeaways from this first round was that I could add more visuals to some slides, which I agree with. People liked that I began by defining the populations I was studying. Somehow I also maintained a pleasant smile on my face during my talk. This session was great practice and I know I will improve from here on out.

I remained at SFDPH to do work. In the evening, the six scholars and four people affiliated with SHARP relaxed at a Happy Hour event. This was a casual space and we discussed music, fashion, and careers. I think this was my first time going to a Happy Hour. The rest of my night was calm; I spent time typing up this blog post.

WEEKEND:
6/29 – I went thrifting at different stores along Telegraph Avenue. Buffalo Exchange holds strong as my favorite. Afterwards, I tried Uji Time Dessert’s ice cream with a scholar and had a nice conversation.

6/30 – San Francisco Pride was an exciting experience to be a part of! A peer did my makeup for the festivities and our group headed to our designated area. SFDPH was Contingent 11 this year, whereas in previous years they were placed farther behind in the parade formation. By the time we met up with the rest of the department, T-shirts had already been distributed and we took the leftover size XL shirts. We had materials to pass out to the crowds: condoms, lubricants and hand towels. Eventually we took off for the march/parade, which lasted a few hours. We had several stops along the way. To pass the time, people from our group and other groups danced.

The colors of my dress (blue, white, pink) correspond to the transgender flag, except my stripes do not align in the order of the flag’s colors.

Five out of six scholars marched in the parade!

Absent is one of the scholars. We are joined by Jonathan, one of the Co-Principal Investigators of SHARP!

JUNE REFLECTION

What an eventful June! I cannot believe that a month of the program has passed. I really appreciate the chances I have gotten to talk with people about their experiences and outlooks on life. At this point, I look to honing in on my research, narrowing down my research question, and continuing to take life one day at a time, and one step at a time.

Some peers asked me if I could see myself living out in the Bay Area in the future. When envisioning it, I do not know about that. While I have experience taking public transportation throughout high school and college, in Ohio as well as Chicago, NYC, and Japan), I wonder if I can take it daily for work. I am concerned about poor sanitation, lack of adequate air conditioning, noise, potential hearing loss, crowdedness, unpleasant smells, and long commutes.

Nevertheless, the sessions throughout the summer are constructive and productive and I enjoy exploring the Bay Area. I wonder what the next month will bring.

Applying to a Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)

Research was once intimidating to me, but that changed when I took a “Research Methods in Sociology” course the first semester of my sophomore year (Fall 2017). It was a very interesting class that introduced me to research and allowed me to learn more of about what that encompasses. I learned that there are two major subgroups of research: qualitative and quantitative. This ended up being one of my favorite classes ever taken at Ohio State.

I have blogged about my eight weeks at University of Iowa through the Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Summer Research Opportunities Program. I separated the blog posts into two parts: part I (June 2018) and part II (July 2018). This specific blog post will be dedicated to sharing my experiences of APPLYING to the program, and my experiences with rejections from several programs. I hope to help others in their academic journeys towards graduate school and professional school!

(The following information are my own insights. Feel free to follow the advice laid out, but I do not guarantee acceptances.)

Source: http://www.sjhemleymarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/iStock_000041965580_Full.jpg

 

Research comes with a multitude of rewards: enhanced reading and writing skills, stronger critical thinking, better evaluation of sources, patience, networking, enhanced analysis skills, and more! By participating in a SROP, I prepared myself tremendously for graduate school and my junior and senior years of college. Through the SROP at University of Iowa, I was able to conduct research for eight weeks, attend workshops on topics related to research and graduate school, write a strong personal statement and CV, study for the GRE, and present my findings at a conference.

I am speaking specifically about the Summer Research Opportunities Program through the Big Ten Academic Alliance.

Here are the steps that I took in applying to and being accepted into a SROP:

During my first year of college, I heard about SROP from a current graduate student in public health. He discussed how he participated in two SROPs and enjoyed both of the experiences, as it helped him strengthen his skills and build his knowledge of public health and biology. They helped inform him of his career goals and aspirations. I kept “SROP” in my mind, and wanted to develop more as a student and scholar before I applied for one.

1. Around October of 2017, which was my sophomore year, I attended a grad school event in the Union. (I like preparing myself early, and even though sophomores may not really concern themselves over graduate school, it was useful for me.) This was like a career fair, and events were scattered in different rooms of the Union. During the one session I attended, the presenters talked about SROP and provided some handouts on SROP and graduate school at OSU in general. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, take notes, and ask for handouts, which contain helpful info! In my personal network, almost nobody had completed a SROP. None of my peers had participated in one, but some staff in Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) had. Ask around on your social media networks too. Somebody may know somebody who did partake in a SROP.

2. During winter, I did more research on SROP on the Internet, and asked people questions to see what they knew about it. I asked around at my own college to see if faculty typically have the time to be mentors for SROP at Ohio State. Looking at the SROP website and exploring its pages, including viewing videos and testimonials from past participants and faculty mentors, was incredibly beneficial for me.

** View the Eligibility Requirements before even starting an application. **

3. I began a Google Document to keep track of the SROP requirements and deadlines. Sometimes transcripts and letters of recommendation are due at different times than the actual application. SROP has a Common App-like application to fill out, and then some schools that have a SROP require their own supplemental applications. In this document, I wrote down my username and password for the application.

4. During winter break, I began brainstorming my content for the essays. This entailed free-writing for me, and typing out whatever popped into my mind that I thought could be used for my essays. There is a PERSONAL STATEMENT and a STATEMENT OF RESEARCH INTERESTS. These are different essays, and you should take the opportunity to showcase different sides of yourself in these essays. Try not to repeat information in these essays. You also do not just want to list out your achievements like you are just writing out your resume or CV. You do want these essays to tell a story! It also should not read like a formal paper; it should still feel like it is your voice that is coming across to the reader. It can be hard to explain what to do and what not to do with your essay, but I hope that my advice makes sense, at least a little bit! Also, there is no magic formula for writing a stellar essay.

https://www.papermasters.com/images/personal-statement.jpg This can be helpful for people in crafting personal statements. Keep these tips in mind! (This infographic is targeted to people who want to go to law school, but you get the idea.)

For my 250-word-limit personal statement, I tried to give the readers a glimpse of who I was, and how I was shaped into the scholar and resilient individual I am today. Additionally, I painted a picture of my background, because that is fundamental in my development. I wrote about why I was motivated to seek a research experience. I included how SROP can help me reach my goals. I also mentioned some experiences of mine, like participating in a college prep program from the sixth grade onwards, and earning 55 college credits during high school. This statement was short and sweet. I had a friend proofread this for errors. Never would I submit a piece of writing before a friend or two scan it over.

For my statement of research interests, which was also a 250-word-maximum, I mentioned my upbringing in the inner-city, and how the challenges/issues I witnessed and faced prompted me to study public health, sociology, and gender studies. With my range of academic interests, my studies would help me address multidimensional, or interdisciplinary, issues, especially health disparities, which I am most passionate about. Then I mentioned how a Research Methods class allowed me to get firsthand experience with research, and I wanted to do more research, which was why I intended to participate in a SROP! My last paragraph consisted of me saying that I wanted to immerse myself into research and what I hoped my future research will be.

** I would share my actual essays, but decided not to in order to avoid the potential for plagiarism. Do not plagiarize. Do not steal/appropriate ideas from others’ essays. Your writing has to be your own. **

5. When spring 2018 started, I made time to work on my essays on the weekends. I was unemployed, but still volunteered at least eight hours a week, and spent eight to ten hours a week for student organizations as well. Many hours of brainstorming, writing, and re-writing were spent. The easiest part was filling out the application with my demographic information. It is important to take breaks and revisit your writing the next day. Give yourself time and space to write. Writing in my dorm room was my preference.

** You may need to send official transcripts to the school and/or SROP. This will come out of your own pocket! **

6. I believe in January, early on in the application process, I asked for letters of recommendation from two sociology professors, since I developed relationships with those two people well. Ask professors/instructors well in advance, at least a month before a deadline. Be sure to ask if they can write a strong letter of recommendation. Do they feel like they know you well enough, whether personally and/or academically? Some things to provide these recommenders are your CV or resume, your application essays, information about the program, your LinkedIn profile, your personal blog, etc.

7. Throughout my process, I asked friends if they had time to read my essays. I did not ask the same friend to read different variations of the dozen or so essays I wrote. There were probably four individuals who read a few essays of mine. I did not use OSU’s Writing Center services, which would have probably helped me out and resulted in more acceptances. The SROP application was due February 10th for me, and some schools had later deadlines (but they also required the SROP application in addition to their own). Besides applying just for SROP, I applied for a few other opportunities as back-ups in case I was not admitted into any of the SROPs. For example, I applied for a cultural summer camp in China for fun and for a research position in Columbus over the summer.

8. Early March was when applications wrapped up for me, and I waited for positive responses in my Buckeyemail inbox. I heard a positive response from University of Iowa, and reached out personally to a potential faculty mentor in sociology, which is my specialization, not my major. Sometimes faculty are not conducting research in your major/desired field at the time, but you can still try to work with them in a different field if you have an interest in that as well! I remained determined and advocated for myself and my abilities. In late March, I was offered acceptance into University of Iowa’s SROP, and accepted that offer since they needed a definitive answer from me within that week. It was a shock to me to see a “Yes” from a program, since it is a competitive program and I doubted my chances of getting in.

http://www.firstpointusa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ohio-state-brutus-the-buckeye.jpg                                                                        Despite thinking that you probably won’t be accepted, you still have a chance if you apply! If you do not apply at all, you have a 0% chance. So take that chance! Believe in yourself.

9. After accepting a program’s offer of admission, you have to turn down other programs’ offers, if they come your way. It turned out that I was rejected from the other SROPs. Some emailed to inform me that I was rejected, while a few did not respond to me at all. For my SROP, I was expected to read emails sent to me carefully. There were more steps to take, like filling out forms and providing information to coordinate health insurance, direct deposit of my stipend, and to book my round-trip flight to and from the program. Some forms required my signature, so I printed out papers and signed them, and scanned them back. The program also asked about roommate requests, but I did not have any preferences, and let the program choose for me. I was required to complete research training modules to learn more about research procedures and ethics! Furthermore, I submitted a headshot to share with others; this headshot was later printed out and put on my dorm door when I got to campus. There are many tasks to complete, but it was actually fun for me to do these, and learn a bit about my peers in the program before I would eventually meet them!

** Respond to emails as soon as you can! Even if the email is just to inform you of what is happening, you can reply with “Received! Thank you for the updates!” 

In late May, I was emailed a syllabus for the summer research program. I printed this out because I like having a physical copy of it to refer to, and I put the dates/deadlines into my personal planner. After completing the requirements and maintaining communication with my program, I arrived in Iowa on June 4th. As always, I was courteous and respectful to everyone. Each participant had their own UIowa email to use. We submitted assignments via an online grading system similar to Ohio State’s Carmen. In this blog post, I provided many details for my readers; I hope that it is not too much! Overall, UI SROP was a wonderful experience and very transformative! If you are unsure of going to graduate school or even getting involved with research, but are willing to try it out, I suggest it. Remain open-minded about opportunities.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If anyone has any questions, wants advice, or someone to talk with about the process, I can certainly make time to help a fellow Buckeye! I am potentially available to read statements as well. I do also suggest utilizing the wonderful Writing Center here on campus; students can do walk-ins, scheduled appointments, and even have their written work looked over virtually and then receive comments online. Send over your drafts to friends who can provide constructive criticism; they will be able to read the statements and determine if the writing reflects your true voice and your true self.

Good luck to all who will apply to a Summer Research Opportunities Program! 🙂

Resources:
http://www.btaa.org/resources-for/students/srop/introduction
https://gradsch.osu.edu/research/summer-research-opportunities-program

The University of Iowa – Summer Research Opportunities Program – Part II

July 2018

When July came around, I was halfway completed with the Summer Research Opportunities Program at The University of Iowa; four weeks down, with four more to go! This second month, I finished as much research as I could do, and then the last week was spent wrapping up the program: presenting posters at the annual undergraduate summer research symposium and recognizing all the Scholars for our hard work and contributions. This half of the summer felt like it went by much quicker than the first half.

WEEK FIVE
July 1st – That weekend, there was the Jazz Festival downtown, and fireworks were shooting off at night. Plenty of people flooded the streets of downtown Iowa City to enjoy the sizzling, fuzzy heat and hear some music. Some crowds were huddled all over the lawns on campus with their blankets on the grass. I did not go outside at night to watch the fireworks, but I could hear them from the dorm. A few Scholars did go to see the fireworks, even venturing into the neighborhood of Coralville to view the fireworks displays.

Photo credit: http://www.accalendar17.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/iowa-city-jazz-festival-iowa-city-downtown-district-iowa-city-calendar-of-events-logk.jpg

July 2nd –
At the “Grad School Admissions” panel, six graduate students shared their experiences and advice for us. These students were pursuing MFAs and Ph.Ds. in history, higher education & student affairs, and counseling psychology. They spoke on their transition from undergraduate to graduate school; some went straight through with their schooling whereas others had some time off for employment first. Some of these students were people of color, and I really appreciated seeing and hearing from POCs, because these were people like me who went on to graduate school.

Some tidbits of wisdom they mentioned during the panel included befriending your fellow graduate students because it is unfeasible and foolish to not do so, and to email professors and people for letters of recommendation immediately, even though it was summer and school had not started yet. One student said that one recommender should know you well personally, one recommender should vouch for your professional experiences, and one should be a “hard-hitter,” which is someone who is highly respected and esteemed in their field. There should also be a person available at the ready to write a back-up recommendation, in case one of the main three recommenders happens to not submit a letter on time, or at all. The panel was very informational. I made a note to myself to contact my recommenders right when school started in August; I wanted to meet with them in person to talk about our summers and then ask them if they would be willing to write me letters.

July 3rd –
We had a GRE study session in the evening.

July 4th –
SROP had a Holiday Picnic planned for us, but this was canceled, and we all just had the day off. It was eerily quiet downtown on the actual holiday, with barely any cars passing through the streets. A group of us played a few hours of Dungeons & Dragons and then walked downtown to see what was going on. About a dozen of us spent some time in a frozen yogurt shop, and we played a game called Headbands. Those who were over age 21 went to a bar to play billiards. It was a relaxing day.

Our D&D group within SROP used this Starter Set to play our campaign.

July 5th –
Our Research Seminar revolved around “Conferences & Publications,” presented to us by a speaker who was very engaging and captivated everyone’s attention as he spoke about types of papers, journals, and authorship. This Chemistry professor was very passionate and stated that this was not a lecture but a discussion; he wanted us to speak during class. Despite it being the end of the day, he did not show any physical signs of fatigue.

I learned that there are three types of research papers:
1) a letter (for general audiences, and the most brief type of paper at two to three pages, including figures and references)
2) a full-length article
3) a review of many articles (this is more rare)
The speaker said that it is common for professors to publish two to ten times a year, depending on their discipline. He also vouched for the value of attending conferences, networking, and attending society meetings. He mentioned that growing a thick skin would be beneficial because “academia is critical of ideas.” What surprised me was that this professor read academic articles every day, including weekends and holidays to keep up with the literature! In addition, journals have impact factors, which are numerical factors for the prestige of the journals. Higher impact factors are better. He also talked about for-profit journals being predatory, as they charge researchers to publish, without thoroughly reviewing the submitted work. Open-access journals on the other hand provide public access to articles; for example, the NIH mandates that NIH-funded research be posted on PubMed, a year after its publication date, so that the public can read this year-old article.

July 6th –
For our Speaker Series, a professor in the Sociology department whose research is primarily on social stratification and public policy! She discussed her research on implicit bias training in some schools in the Iowa City Community School District; her hope is that educators will recognize their own biases (every human being has bias, whether they know it or not) and ensure that their biases do not lead to disproportionate educational outcomes for different races of students.
Students and teachers filled out surveys as part of the professor’s research. Students were asked if they had mentors at school, and if they felt safe and supported, among other questions.
One result revealed that 19% of Black students enrolled in the school districts for 2016-2017, but 63% were suspended. This is an outrageous statistic, and indicates a disparity in disciplining students. Another finding was that white students had the highest rates of race-matched mentors, meaning they were the students who often had a mentor of the same race. Furthermore, LGBTQ-identifying students disclosed that they did not feel supported or understood by their teachers. Even 25% of all students surveyed reported that teachers do not recognize their hard work.

There are multiple areas to address in these schools, and diverse stakeholders must be involved when making decisions. Besides training teachers and staff (the implicit bias training in schools is contracted to last three years), a handful of schools are trying a restorative justice approach to discipline instead of suspending students. Also pertinent is recruiting and retaining diverse staff and students. Yet another suggestion raised by the researchers was to arrange school calendars so that testing would not occur on/near any religious holidays, not just Christian holidays like Christmas or Easter.

Source: https://www.lwhs.org/page/news-detail?pk=1140689

I support implicit bias training for school educators and staff; having grown up in the inner-city and attending public schools for my entire life, and often being the only Asian-American student in class, I witnessed bias and microaggressions from teachers who had little experience interacting with Asian/Asian-American people. For example, I have had teachers insist on knowing where my parents were born, and teachers who commented how my name did not suit me because it was “too American” for me. This lecture spoke to me, and I hope that teachers nationwide can be more educated and aware of their own biases and lack of knowledge and cultural sensitivity.

WEEK SIX
July 9th –
Sunny gave a professional development presentation on “Professionalism on Social Media.” What we post on the Internet has a permanent presence, even if we delete our photos or statuses. We must be vigilant of what we say or share, because you never know who could screenshot something and send it off to other people. Sunny asked us what social media networks we use, from Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and LinkedIn, to some others. Most of us use a few social media networks! I use a wide array of social networks, and am very connected to the Internet. When I post, I keep in mind that I do have past teachers and older adults as friends or followers of my accounts, so I ask myself if things are appropriate for me to share.

Photo credit: https://ontargetinteractive.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/social-.jpg

July 10th –
Another GRE Study Session consisted of practicing vocabulary words and doing practice problems from our Kaplan books.

July 11th –
The evening session “If I Knew Then What I Know Now“ was a speed meeting with past SROP students who were in graduate school. The scholars were sitting at six tables, and we sat down the entire duration, while a graduate student circled around to each table every 10 minutes, and each of them had a specific topic to discuss with us.
One student, Maya, did SROP at University of Iowa some years ago, where she studied African-American mothers and stress. She talked about “building your cabinet” of people, or basically a support system.
Charles was pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education, and commented on “wearing multiple hats” and juggling various responsibilities. He aims to be a faculty member and administrator for student affairs. When he finished reading for the day, he would then focus on self-care and play basketball as his reward.
Nicole is in the process of achieving her MFA in Painting and Drawing, a three-year program. She talked about “department politics” and power structures.
Danielle was in her Ph.D. program for civil engineering, and was researching flood predictions. She commented on being a “Teaching Assistant (TA) versus Research Assistant (RA) versus Graduate Assistant (GA)”. TAs are popular for science disciplines while GAs are commonly found in the social sciences and liberal arts. She is an RA, and wants to do consulting after her program. She is also involved in graduate student government, so grad students can still be involved outside of the classroom! Danielle mentioned that she is the only woman in her classes, which is still a reality in STEM, but is slowly dissolving.
Lastly a student who I think was named Deron (De’Ron?) discussed “time management” in his MFA for printmaking program. He suggested we try to complete assignments one to two weeks before the given deadline, to allocate more time since procrastination is real. He was attracted to UIowa’s program because of the funding and stipends; also, the school’s printmaking program is third in the nation.
I was impressed by the diversity of graduate students and how they all came from various fields and states; a few went straight from undergraduate to graduate school, and it was interesting to hear all their perspectives.

July 12th –
This Research Seminar was on Poster Construction Do’s and Don’ts. Scholars were given a guide for designing our research posters, which we would present at a conference just less than two weeks away. We also received several handouts showing different posters; we went through almost all of them and critiqued each poster. All posters should be concise, with minimal wording and carefully curated diagrams or photos.

Elements of a poster should include, but are not limited to:
– Abstract – Why was this research necessary? What happened? What were the results? What are the implications for this research? This should be a short paragraph or two and should be easily understandable by anyone who reads this abstract.
– Introduction – What is the issue being addressed? What is the gap in the literature?
– Hypothesis – What do I predict will be the outcome(s) from the research?
– Methods – What methods did we use for the research? Was it qualitative or quantitative? This should be very specific and delineate how this research was conducted.
– Results – What were the results? Diagrams would be helpful here in visually representing the results.
– Conclusion – This section is a summary of what the results suggest and what future directions can be taken.

This is a sample research poster from my very own university! White space is necessary for a poster. There should be a balance between white space and the amount of text and images on a poster. It should overall look neat and have an organized structure.

There should be some models/diagrams/photos on the poster so that it is not entirely composed of text. People need to see visuals! Visuals can help draw people in and also aid people’s understanding of complex concepts. Some other elements could include Discussion and Literature Review. References are also another popular section. For my poster, I add in an Acknowledgements section, because I always want to give thanks to people who have helped me with my research. Furthermore, I have to thank Professor Welburn and Sean for allowing me to help them with their project and giving me guidance.

When presenting a poster, there are also some guidelines. Students should practice presenting the data in front of peers, before they present at a conference. Do their peers understand the information and can logically follow the points made on the poster? Students should prepare a two-minute version and five-minute version of their poster speech. They also should not simply read off the poster, but briefly explain the research and then give specifics if people ask. Another piece of advice was to be enthusiastic and lively about the research and the work accomplished. If people come up to you and see that you are energetic and excited, they would feel like you really care about the topic.

This lecture’s presenter also showed us sample letters of recommendation that he wrote for students he has worked with. He even handed out a copy of a student’s personal statement for a Ph.D. program. It was very insightful to read these papers and get the perspectives of a recommender.

July 13th –
A Biochemistry professor spoke to us on the molecular mechanisms of epigenetics. She introduced herself and her educational background. She spent four years in undergrad, four years for her PhD, six years doing postdoctoral work, and five years ago, she established her own lab. Then she gave us a mini lecture on her work. She explained how she studies how epigenetic factors influence gene expression and how the environment (stress, nutrition, exercise, etc. impact a person’s epigenome).

Source: https://harvardmagazine.com/2017/05/is-epigenetics-inherited Learning about epigenetics reminded me of public health, and how environmental exposures and other facets of people’s lives impact their health, even the health of generations of offspring.

Although I took introductory biology and chemistry courses, I never had instruction on epigenetics, so this material was new to me. A fact I learned from the lecture was that there is evidence that genes from a famine in Denmark are affecting people today. The professor said that epigenetic marks are reversible and have substantial therapeutic potential. Her lab works to understand more about chromatin biology and human disease, and help develop therapeutics, which are used for people suffering from disease, pain, or injuries. The professor noted that when seeking funding for research projects, the funders need to be motivated and excited about your topic or your research. I will keep this advice in mind, not just for when I am applying for funding for my research, but for scholarships; I have to make readers excited for me and want to help me achieve my goals.

WEEKEND –
Scholars who had missed a session for various reasons were required to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity again. This was no issue for me; I appreciated the opportunity to get to help out at the warehouse area. We helped restock furniture, move furniture around, assemble some furniture and appliances (lamps and lighting fixtures in particular), measure door frames, sort recyclables, and unload a few truckloads of even more furniture. It was my first time going inside a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and seeing the array of items that people donated and would be eventually reused. We even built a bunk bed. Furniture sold here is marked at affordable prices. For furnishing my own homes/apartments in the future, I now can add a Habitat for Humanity ReStore to the list of places to visit.

This is just one small area of the large warehouse of the Habitat for Humanity – Iowa Valley.

WEEK SEVEN
July 16th –
Natalie conducted our session on self-assessments; it was called “Know Thyself.” This was important because we have to know who we are to write our personal statements and to express ourselves in interviews. She started with asking us if we can define ourselves in one sentence. Statements from scholars like “I am 21 years old,” “I am studying [insert subject/field],” were shot down. Natalie inquired, “What if education and everything else was taken away from you? Who are you then?” What were we besides students?
“You can exist without your achievements.” This statement spoke volumes to me. I am more than my almost-perfect (3.966) GPA, my leadership activities, and my honors and awards. We must not define ourselves by a test score or other numbers or accolades. I define myself by values like “trustworthy,” “caring,” “kind,” and “inquisitive.”

Natalie gave us each a worksheet and a paper with a long list of values, from A-Z order. Using values from the list, we first listed five values that are the MOST important to us, then five values that were important to us, and finally five values that were the least important to us. Furthermore, Natalie wanted us to jot down why these values were important to us and how do we use these values or employ them in action.

My most important values are, in no particular order:
– Adventure
My life craves excitement and discovery. I want to travel the world and to different nook and crannies in America. I love adventure and learning about the world around me. So far, I have done some traveling, and that has kept me eager for more adventures.
– Happiness
I strive to be happy, and this has been a great area of struggle for me, with so many challenges I have encountered in life. Happiness is a universal feeling, but oftentimes I do not find myself in a happy state. To try to achieve this value, I spend time with loved ones, and they contribute positively to my mood. I also can make myself content when I am not with other people; blogging is a source of pride and happiness for me. Helping other people generally makes me happy.
– Friendships
What is life without friends? I have made many new friends in college and they have enriched my life. They have supported me and helped me get through school, and I have just had fun with them as we explored Columbus and hung around school. I make sure to see my friends at least once a week, and I often have a class with at least one of them!
– Family
My family have always been a part of my life, and they are there for me when I need them. My family has helped get me to where I am today. I make time to see my family a few times a semester. I return home for one to two weeks for winter break. Sometimes I am busy traveling to new places and forgo visiting Cleveland. Still, I call my mother once a week, mostly on the weekends, so I can hear her comforting voice.
– Knowledge
Education is one of my lifelines, one of my necessities just like blood. I call myself a lifelong lover of learning; I will always be reading books and online articles to better myself and increase my knowledge of various topics. Many subjects catch my interest. I have a major and two minors because I want to be more well-rounded and educated. While traveling, I try to visit a few museums so I can deepen my understanding of art, history, and different cultures.

For my one-liner, which I did not share out loud with the class but silently wanted to, I wrote down,
“I am someone who found her strength from her struggles.”

Photo Source: https://graceoutreachcenter.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/what-defines-you.jpg                                                                                       What defines you? Can you describe yourself succinctly in one sentence?

July 17th –
We had our usual GRE Study Session, which we all attend after we eat dinner at Burge Hall.

July 18th –
This day, I had a draft of my research poster ready and talked through the layout and content with my mentor, Professor Welburn. I sent her a PDF of my poster and she printed it; I would pick it up later in the office of the Sociology department.

For our session, we had Research Roundtable presentations. We printed out copies of our research abstracts to share with the Scholars at our table, and one faculty mentor/member from University of Iowa was present at each of the four tables around the room to hear us present our abstract and our research projects, and provide us with feedback. This was preparation for the conference next week, and it was also one of the most stressful sessions for me, since I do not like presenting in front of others. Nevertheless, I appreciated getting the chance to hear what my peers were doing and how some of them are really strong presenters and seem to not show any anxiety in front of audiences. Each table would select the scholar from that table who presented the most well, and to eventually stand in front of the entire room to present once more, and be judged. The four scholars presented and the four faculty members decided who was the best presenter. The scholar with the best oral presentation of their research that night was a fellow Buckeye, who I did not meet or know until we both began SROP together in the summer.

July 19th –
Our scheduled session was cancelled, so Scholars had this day to work more on research.

July 20th –
Our last Speaker Series session was presented by a professor in Astronomy and Physics. That night, we had a SROP Talent Show, where scholars had a space to show off their talents and skills. One scholar did a dance and later that night, a SROP-themed parody of an R&B song. Another scholar played his own musical piece on his flute; throughout SROP, when we walked down the hallways of our dorm floor, we would hear his whimsical flute-playing. Another scholar sang a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” and one scholar presented a slideshow of her artwork and she even completed a painting during SROP, and passed this around to the audience. I also volunteered for the talent show; when I submitted my name that I was participating, I only had in mind that I would perform a poem. After I elected to be a part of the show, I hurriedly began to brainstorm my poem. It was finished in two days, and then the few days before the show, I was revising the poem, only allowing two SROP scholars to read it and provide me with feedback. The talent show overall was very fun, and just like how multifaceted and unique each of us scholars are, our talents are different as well.

The Arts Building West building holds the Art Library. It is a tranquil place to study. The small pond sometimes will have ducks splashing around in it.

A link to my poem is found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lOQTGLslC5KJqb4pMxXsraARf24LRaubsaPxletvm3w/edit?usp=sharing

WEEKEND –
On July 21st, Scholars took a GRE Post-test, from 10 am to 2 pm, to compare our scores from the beginning of summer. I was relieved to earn higher scores for both the quantitative and verbal sections. However, the test we took was the same as the diagnostic test, except I did have some unfamiliar sets of questions because I knew how to answer a few previous sets. I scored in the 80th or so percentiles for this test, an improvement from last time when I scored in the 44th and 70th-something percentiles. When taking practice tests, I did not write essays, but in hindsight, perhaps I should have spent the time to do so. We printed off our results for the SROP staff’s records.

WEEK EIGHT
July 23rd –
Graduate assistant Sunny presented a session on self-care and support. For this interactive session, Sunny strongly encouraged us to discuss with him about our perceptions of self-care and what questions we had about the topic. We defined what self-care means for us. One scholar said for her, it meant “treating yourself.” Others said that for their self-care, they needed “music,” “solitude,” “stopping and thinking,” and “hanging with friends.” We then did self-assessments, which I believe were related to stress.

During the session, I took some notes related to self-care:
“Start a compliments file.” Sunny practices this activity, and I actually did this back in middle school when I would screenshot compliments that people gave me online. If someone posts something especially sweet and meaningful to me online, I still screenshot it and keep it on my phone in my Photos album.
“Mini-meditation.” I do not currently practice meditation, but it can be something simple and not even time-intensive. It could be something I do right before bed, or when I wake up.
“Unplug for an hour.” My world revolves around using technology and staying connected to my networks through my phone or laptop. I am almost always looking at a screen, if I am not sleeping or doing my personal hygiene routines. I even scroll on my phone as I eat though, so my everyday life activities seem to be consumed by my use of technology. However, by playing games with my friends, I am engrossed in the games and end up not using my phone. Unplugging can be a challenge, especially when I love social media and want to see/know what other people are up to. Unplugging is important and I hope to remember to engage in activities that do not involve me using technology.
“Notice your breathing.” By noticing my breathing, and focusing on only that, I can calm myself down.
“Walk around outside.” This is important and should be done daily. I am sure I can commit to this action and get my daily dose of fresh air.

Near the end of the session, we created our own Distress Tolerance Boxes, which are boxes containing items for self-care and stress-relief. Sunny brought some mini boxes that resembled rectangular take-out containers. He also had some rocks engraved with words like “Friendship” and “Love” and some Chinese finger trap toys. There was also some candy to stash in the boxes. We could decorate our boxes with construction paper and markers. While I liked the concept of the box, I knew I would not be able to bring a box with me in my luggage or in my backpack. I then came up with the idea to make the box into a care package to give to individuals suffering from homelessness; there were some we encountered in Iowa City, and I felt like presenting them with a small box containing goodies and toiletries would be very helpful for them and make their days.

Photo source: https://68.media.tumblr.com/acdc653d145b2cdc879b98933da1d78a/tumblr_nvexc6eF2W1uhd96jo1_500.png                                           A personal care robot from the Disney film Big Hero 6 wants to make sure his owner is taking care of himself. Likewise, he wants others to monitor their wellness, from physical to mental.


July 24th –
Instead of GRE tutoring and preparation, all the Scholars were in one room and we learned about some handy and helpful websites to aid us for graduate and/or professional school.
These websites are:
beyondtheprofessoriate.com – career advice for PhDs, by PhDs – this requires money to join

myidp.sciencecareers.org – my Individual Development Plan –  an account must be created to access materials –
The site provides the following:

  • Exercises to help you examine your skills, interests, and values
  • A list of 20 scientific career paths with a prediction of which ones best fit your skills and interests
  • A tool for setting strategic goals for the coming year, with optional reminders to keep you on track
  • Articles and resources to guide you through the process

Imagine PhD – https://www.imaginephd.com/ – FREE career exploration and planning for the humanities and social sciences. An account must be created to access assessments and other resources

versatilephd.com – Helping graduate students and PhDs envision, prepare for, and excel in non-academic careers since 1999
They have a PhD career finder, discussion boards, job listing boards, local meet-ups and more.

Slack – https://slack.com/ – a chat app used by graduate students to collaborate and to chat, and is also utilized by teams/groups of people in workforce and business
This is FREE for small groups of people, for unlimited time. The other two plans cost money, monthly.

The GRE instructors we had for the summer informed us to go to conferences, to look at success stories, and to not let the competitiveness of a program deter us from applying! They also told us about academic Twitter; we could have a separate Twitter account for academic and professional purposes, to network with other people in our fields and disciplines and to share our achievements, aside from our personal and private accounts.

July 25th –
We had a SROP Closing Luncheon, where Scholars and their faculty mentors and some graduate students had lunch together and mingled. Ms. Diana gave a speech and thanked everyone for being in the program. At the end of the lunch, I presented my poem!

After this luncheon, the summer undergraduate research conference (SURC) began; it was from 1 to 5 pm, and students were placed into one of two sessions, so they were not presenting for a full four hours, but only two hours. Still, I was extremely anxious and did not want to present. I often have a concern that my research is not good enough, that I did not get enough research done and could have done mucmore, and other worries. I had several people stop by my poster. One sociology student who was at University of Iowa came up to me to discuss my research. I even printed out 20 business cards to hand out to people.

I appreciate the poster having a glossy finish. It should be resistant to water and other damages. It is also text-heavy, which can deter people from approaching the poster. I just like providing ample information for people.

July 26th –
This was a free day for many scholars, besides our awards ceremony that evening. Some scholars were busy printing their posters somewhere around campus. With two friends and my SROP roommate, we went to the medical side of University of Iowa’s campus and got food from food trucks. I tried some delicious gyros. Then we went to the mall to purchase a gift for Ms. Sproles: a Bath & Body Works candle, soap, and lotion, all wrapped up in pretty paper. I also went to some stores downtown for the last time. I really liked the White Rabbit boutique and the Blick Arts Materials, which was where I purchased my tube to hold my research poster. I also quickly toured the Natural History museum on campus; I had been meaning on going to the museum for all of summer, but on my very last day, I finally was able to venture in and look at the history of Iowa and the many taxidermied animals in its various exhibits.

At the beginning of summer, I saw a mere outline of this mural. On my last full day in Iowa City, I finally got to see the finished product.

In the evening, we had a Closing Session and Awards Ceremony. Earlier in the week, we all turned in completed sheets of “SROP Superlatives,” where we nominated scholars for various awards such as “Best Motivator,” “Best Trio,” “Most Likely to Achieve World Peace,” “The World Traveler,” and other fun awards. There were about a dozen superlatives in total. The SROP staff also gave out certificates of completion to everyone, and then gave additional awards to the scholars who did exceptionally well in the program. I received “Best Motivator,” and tied with another scholar for “Most Studious.” I also received the highest votes for “People’s Choice Award for Talent Show.” Outside of the visual arts building where the ceremony was held, a bunch of scholars took group photos, and we walked next door to the arts building to view an art showcase, with art from high school students who were also here in Iowa for some time during the summer. At night, a small handful of us went to a rooftop restaurant to see what Iowa City looked like from up above. While I was feeling sad that SROP was ending, I was still trying to make the most of my limited time and enjoy every moment with my friends.

I will miss my peers so much.

July 27th –
This was Departure Day, a very bittersweet day, and the last time I would likely see all the Scholars in one place. In the early morning, three scholars from Puerto Rico began their journey home. The remainder of us were able to eat breakfast at Burge and gather in the lobby to check out of Burge Hall, where we waited to be picked up by Ms. Sproles, Natalie, and Sunny to be taken to the airport in Cedar Rapids.

We exchanged many hugs, said goodbyes/see you laters, and shed some tears. While we waited in the airport terminals, some of us played card games, while others listened to music. I was about to board my plane before I turned to see my closest friends from SROP yell out “Bye” and wave at me.

The Cedar Rapids airport is fairly small. The staff are all pleasant from the encounters I have had.

Reflection

My summer was fruitful and full of learning, new experiences, and challenges. I am thankful for the myriad of opportunities to learn about a variety of fields, from biochemistry to physics to public policy, and to speak with some graduate students and faculty members. I also am grateful to have gotten to know some academically competitive, talented, and kind scholars from across America and Puerto Rico. Because of my eight-week experience, I am better prepared for my graduate studies, and have a strong CV and personal statement for my application to my program. I understand much more of what being in graduate school is like, what the process is for finding funding, and what it is like to be in academia. I really enjoyed getting to hear multiple perspectives each day of the program.

Also important, this was my first intensive experience conducting research, and contributing to a faculty member’s work. I engaged in qualitative research coding and analysis, which helped reinforce my desire to pursue qualitative methods. Although my research project was not explicitly public health, it related to public health because it involved studying experiences of a marginalized and vulnerable group: first-generation college students, with living, working, and attending school at The University of Iowa. I was able to read 15 interview transcripts and learned a considerable deal of these students’ backgrounds and some of their challenges, like substandard housing conditions (doors not locking, mold, and general uncleanliness), and 60% of them working two jobs to help make ends meet. These interviews were eye-opening and contributed to my understanding of how the quality and affordability of housing are especially influential in students’ health and wellbeing, and even their academic outcomes.

Besides the academic and professional growth, I also experienced personal growth, as I developed relationships with people. My interactions with friends and staff helped me become better aware of different cultures and backgrounds. My worldview has tremendously expanded because of my friends from California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, D.C., and Iowa. Even my fellow Ohio State scholar was someone who I had never interacted with before SROP, and I learned so much about him; he is in a different public health specialization than me, and he is also pre-med, so I was able to learn about the perspectives of a pre-med student and support him as he took his MCAT halfway through SROP. I highly suggest for undergraduates to get involved in research, including immersive and transformative experiences such as a Summer Research Opportunities Program.

Resources
Link to University of Iowa’s Summer Research Opportunities Program: https://www.grad.uiowa.edu/ogi/srop

Please see an upcoming post on “Applying to SROP” for details on the months-long application process and how I prepared for SROP! Hopefully the post will aid in people getting accepted to a program. More resources will be listed in the post.

The University of Iowa – Summer Research Opportunities Program – Part I

The University of Iowa offers the opportunity for first-generation college students and/or students from disadvantaged backgrounds/students who are historically underrepresented to take part in their annual Summer Research Opportunities Program (called SROP). Through the eight weeks of SROP, not only do the Scholars prepare for graduate school through GRE workshops and informational sessions on various aspects of graduate school, but they also enhance their academic and personal skills through engaging in a research project with a faculty mentor whose interests align with theirs. The Scholars also partake in volunteering and social events that augment their experiences while in Iowa City, Iowa. Students are challenged daily and are expected to uphold values of professionalism and integrity. Scholars are also expected to show respect and open-mindedness as they meet with other students from across the country. There is a great deal of work required of the Scholars, but there are many benefits to be reaped. All the hard work I put in was worth it, and Summer 2018 turned out to be one of the best summers of my entire life!

The campus loomed large at first glance but I quickly learned how to navigate it. I learned how to use the buses! Source: the university’s admissions office

This blog post describes what I did in June.

WEEK ONE
DAY 1 – June 4th

After landing in the United States, I was back home in Cleveland for six hours before I had to depart for Cedar Rapids/Iowa City! During that short period, I did laundry and packed my suitcase as full as I could; I had to lean on it to zip it up. I appreciate my parents for going through this exhausting ordeal with me and taking me to the airport, the last time they’d see me again until eight weeks later. I flew from Cleveland to Atlanta to Cedar Rapids, arriving at my final destination at 11 am.

While most students came to campus on June 2 or June 3, I came on June 4th. I was the latest student and felt terrible for missing out on orientation and a welcome picnic. But I was thankful to be there! I checked into the residence hall, set my things down, and went right to lunch, as I was famished. I made a new friend immediately; at the elevator, she greeted me and talked with me. We had lunch together and also went with a few other students to the library, where we had a session at 1:30 pm.

A librarian introduced us to the University of Iowa library system. There’s seven libraries there on campus and planned to go to each of them. The librarian showed us how to find research databases and contact library staff members. This session was very helpful in orienting us and the resource guide she provided will be a resource for our research this summer.

Fun fact: For every pig in Iowa, there are two books at UI.

I frequent the Main Library; it has a café, plenty of desktop computers around the building, and study spaces. You can also reserve rooms!

Then one of the two Graduate Assistants, Natalie, talked about professionalism and respect with us. We were expected to check emails regularly; it is not polite to ignore messages and we should respond within 24-48 hours. Afterwards, the SROP Scholars visited the gym and got a tour. I liked the facility and was impressed by the tall rock wall; it’s the tallest in the country for a college. We could purchase monthly or summer-semester memberships. (I passed on this chance, as I was unsure of my availability with my time spent between research, exploring Iowa, and studying for the GRE. I know that exercise is a vital part of maintaining good physical health, but because I perceived that I would be too busy, I did not work out at all.)

Right after that, we took our photo IDs! They are called HawkIDs and we use them to swipe into buildings for access. It’s similar to the BUCKID I use at The Ohio State University. I really like how I look in my photo.

This card has several uses! https://idcard.uiowa.edu/iowa-one-card

We had the rest of the night to ourselves. Back in my dorm, I unpacked and rested before eating dinner with my roommate and other scholars. Everyone was very friendly and open to conversation! In my room, I wrote down deadlines into my planner. SROP provided each of us with a poster-size calendar of the program that we can hang on a wall. I had no tape or staples or thumbtacks so I kept this on my desk. SROP also gave us brand new GRE prep books and some booklets on Iowa City and the University of Iowa. I love reading, so all of these materials were great, and they helped me navigate campus and learn about recommended restaurants and places to visit. Then I reviewed the SROP syllabus to familiarize myself with our program’s schedule and the assignments. Here was how our schedule generally went:

Mondays – Aspects of Graduate School sessions (We had presentations about CV’s and personal statements, graduate student panels, and more)
Tuesdays – GRE Study Sessions (We were divided into two groups: Verbal or Quantitative; we switched subjects halfway through the summer)
Wednesdays – Question and Answer (Q&A) Discovery sessions
Thursdays – Research Seminars
Fridays – Speaker Seminars

DAY 2 – June 5th

I got breakfast with friends and walked the quick seven minutes to Seashore Hall, which houses the Departments of Sociology and Psychology. I would start research the next day but I learned the route to my building beforehand so I would not get lost.  I walked around campus by myself and went into the campus bookstore to browse the books. I then went to the Main Library to sit down and work on emails (and this blog!).

SROP provided every scholar with a GRE Prep Plus book to aid us in our studies!

On Tuesday evenings, SROP Scholars attend GRE prep workshops. We were presented with the basics of the GRE and then took a practice set of Verbal and a practice set of Quantitative Reasoning. This activity frustrated me so much, because it was so much more difficult than the ACT and SAT; I excelled at the ACT back in high school, but the GRE’s challenge level surpassed the previous standardized tests that I took by a landslide. Nevertheless, I persisted and answered each question because guessing wrong does not lead to any penalties for my score. Feeling defeated, I went home to Burge. In my room, I conducted an online search for fun things to do in Iowa City and around campus; I compiled a bucket list of restaurants to check out and museums to visit.

Day 3 – June 6th
After breakfast, I met with Sean, the graduate student who is working on the project with my faculty mentor. My mentor is Sean’s advisor for his graduate studies in sociology. He introduced himself and explained how we would be coding for the majority of my research. I became acquainted with Dedoose, an accessible and extremely user-friendly computer app. I can use Dedoose on any laptop or desktop, so I can be anywhere to work on the research!

My faculty mentor is Jessica Welburn Paige, Assistant Professor of Sociology as well as African American Studies at The University of Iowa. Professor Welburn’s research revolves around studying race and ethnicity, social mobility, urban inequality, cultural sociology, and qualitative research methods. Here is more about her (retrieved from https://clas.uiowa.edu/sociology/people/jessica-welburn-paige) 

Her work has focused on the experiences of African Americans in the post-Civil Rights era, including how they conceptualize their social mobility prospects and their strategies for navigating persistent racism and discrimination. She is currently working on a book tentatively titled Keep on Pushin’ that uses in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations to explore how working class and middle class African Americans in Detroit, MI navigate the city’s crumbling infrastructure. In addition, Professor Welburn is working on a book manuscript co-authored with Michèle Lamont, Joshua Guetzkow, Hanna Herzog, Nissim Mizrachi, Elisa Reis and Graziella Silva. The book draws upon over 400 qualitative interviews to compare the destigmatization strategies of blacks in the United States, blacks in Brazil, and several groups — Ethiopian Jews, Mizrahi Jews and Palestinian Citizens of Israel — in Israel.

She is a Summer Research Scholar at the Public Policy Center, and she is collaborating with another Scholar there on a project titled “Housing Inequality in Iowa City: Examining the Experiences of Community Members and University Students,” which I am helping with during my eight weeks here. The project is community-based and mixed methods and the principal investigators are Megan Gilster, Assistant Professor of Social Work
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For this week, I am coding one student interview and understanding how to use Dedoose. The website provides plenty of video tutorials and written out explanations for me should I need support. Sean also provided me with a manila folder of packets of readings to help me gain background knowledge on housing insecurity, food insecurity, qualitative methods, coding, and reading scientific/academic journal articles.

A screenshot of a Dedoose home page (from themidnightcoders.com)

Our evening seminar entailed working on our LinkedIn profiles and ensuring that we are presenting ourselves as well as we can on this professional social platform. I changed my introduction and edited some profile sections. As I become older and continue developing my professional career, I check my LinkedIn more regularly and I receive emails when there’s notifications for me.

Day 4 – June 7th
On this day, I worked on coding the interview and reading some assigned papers. In my planner, tasks are color-coded: red means research (look at databases, begin literature review), blue means doing readings, purple means meetings with Sean and/or Professor Welburn, and orange means coding using Dedoose.  Another proactive action I did was that I created an email signature for my University of Iowa email, and I downloaded the Microsoft Outlook app on my phone to make sure I could read emails quickly.

The SROP seminar was one of my favorite seminars thus far; it was about intercultural sensitivity and our various identities. Because of this, I learned more about my peers, and it helped make me feel less nervous.

Day 5 – June 8th
On Fridays, I meet with Professor Welburn for up to 45 minutes before I dash to the seminar at 4 pm.
Our speaker, Dr. Darrel Wanzer-Serrano, presented his research on the Young Lords, a group of mostly Puerto Rican youth activists. Many of them were second-generation Americans, so they were born in America and had immigrant parents. This group was dedicated to raising awareness for injustices in their communities in New York. They worked for positive change in their community health, environmental, and political needs. Through rallies, speeches, political education, and messages on the radio and in newspapers, the Young Lords made academic and physical impacts; they once were able to mobilize 10,000 people. They were able to get lead and TB testing programs, the first door-to-door program in the country. They also got meals to people in need. However, in the 1970s, they changed their group’s name, which hurt them deeply. They also stopped doing community work and shut down their clinics.

After dinner, about half of the scholars met up to go to the Coral Ridge Mall. On Thursdays and Fridays, the bus to the mall is free for UI students; with our HawkIDs, we were able to take advantage of this opportunity! The ride was about 20-30 minutes. When we reached the mall, we split up. I tried Zombie burgers and side of fries and loved the taste of it; the sauce was some mixture of mayo and ketchup. On the bus ride to and from the mall, I was able to talk to my peers and learn more about them. One scholar’s parents both attended The Ohio State University (my home institution) for their master’s degrees! Late at night, I looked up resources to make a GRE study schedule for myself. My plan was to spend 1-2 hours each weekday doing GRE prep, and then 6-10 hours over the weekends.
(Resource: https://gre.magoosh.com/study-plans)

WEEKEND
On Saturday morning, we all took a GRE diagnostic test (a Pre-Test) to gauge where we all were for quantitative and verbal strengths. This was my first time taking the entire GRE exam, minus the essays at the beginning. When we were done, we printed our scores and handed them to the SROP staff. I do not remember what I did the rest of the day, or the rest of the weekend, but I believe I was in my room working on blog posts relating to my study abroad, and the lengthy PowerPoint slideshow for my study abroad travels. 

WEEK TWO

June 11th
I researched more about the GRE; I plan to take it in mid-August because I am applying to a Combined Bachelors and Masters program at my school and this requires me to take the GRE before my application is due on December 1. Taking the GRE before the school year begins seems optimal for me because my mind will mostly be occupied by the test; if I take the test later on when classes are in session, I would feel more stressed.

Our evening session was about choosing a graduate school. The first step in this process often involves developing a list of criteria and assigning weight to each criteria. Some criteria to keep in mind when looking at programs include regional/geographic location, professor-to-student ratio, costs, financial aid/assistance, support and resources, faculty mentors, program reputation, duration of program, and physical facilities.

For me, I preferred a graduate school program in the Midwest, close to home. Ohio is all that I have known, and although it’s suggested to venture out and get a change of scenery, I believe in blooming where I am planted, and continuing to develop relationships with the people I have met in Columbus. I knew that at Ohio State, I’d benefit from the robust financial aid and my strong support system.

June 12th
This day was spent doing readings and coding another interview. I had a meeting with Ms. Diana Sproles, the director of SROP.

I was placed in the Quantitative group for the first half of the GRE study sessions; this placement was commensurate with my low quantitative score on the diagnostic GRE exam (I was somewhere in the 40th percentile, and was not too disappointed, taking into account that my last math course was Calculus in the twelfth grade and it had been a few years.) This session was challenging and engaging; we began it with a 10 minute quiz, which I was not expecting. The instructors are very passionate and present; they ask students about our reasonings behind approaching a problem. I felt like I was really learning (well, relearning math concepts I had learned back in high school.) After the session, I worked on our math quiz; we get a math quiz each week to practice our knowledge.

June 13th
On Wednesday mornings, I meet with Sean in Seashore; we go over coding and we strive to achieve intercoder reliability. I also have the space to ask him questions about graduate school. After lunch, I met with Mr. Joseph Henry, who I call Joe. He is in charge of Recruitment and Outreach for SROP. He asked me questions about myself, my passions, and my academic interests, as well as what I hoped to gain from SROP.

After dinner, we attended a session on “Life as a Faculty Member” and met six faculty members from various disciplines.

June 14th
In the late afternoon, we had a presentation on Research Collaboration, from two graduate students. One was pursuing a degree in Political Science, specifically racial and ethnic politics, and the other was in Geography, studying hazards. The PoliSci student told us how during undergrad, she went to Mexico to conduct research, funded by the National Science Foundation. She studied conflict and peace management. While she was rejected the first time she applied for NSF, she applied again and was waitlisted before eventually being accepted. Everyone applying is heavily and highly qualified; your proposed project should meet what the funders are looking for. When it comes to collaboration, she suggested that we make sure we are accountable to ourselves, and that our collaborators are also accountable to you. She also said to not be afraid to ask for help and help others on social media.

The geography grad student explained how he studies the social vulnerability to natural hazards. He taught us some types of collaboration, in his words:
1) Vertical – you are given a job and you fill the part
2) Horizontal – the collaborating sides have similar interests, and work together but still in their own silos
3) Integrative/interdisciplinary – this is the hardest collaboration

After the session, everyone in SROP, including the staff, took a group photo! Pictured are Ms. Sproles, Joe, and Sunny. Natalie is not pictured. People also had professional headshots taken.

June 15th
After breakfast, I conducted an informational interview with a faculty member here so I could learn more about public health and her own experiences. It was a great conversation! Then I had lunch at Bluebird Diner with my faculty mentor, Professor Welburn. We discussed the research project we were working on and also Iowa City and life in general.

I worked more on an assignment on my laptop before I went to the Speaker Series session that afternoon. The session was about “Attention: The Mind’s Bouncer”, presented by a professor in the Psychological and Brain Sciences. I learned new terms like “target templates,” which guide our attention to things relevant to the item we are searching for; if we were locating some ketchup, our eyes would look for things that are red, in a bottle-shape, and relatively big. There is visual, manual, and cognitive attention. The speaker gave us some tips for the GRE and school. When reading a book or writing, preview it, and think about what the writing is about. Then summarize it. Next, evaluate it; is this writing true, in whole or in part? Sometimes I will read something and then by the time I have finished with the excerpt or the chapter, I fail to recall what I read.

The weekend was very fun. On Saturday, my friends and I went to Iowa City’s Pride Festival! I was pleasantly surprised that the festival was the 48th celebration of LGBTQ+ people in the community. With my friends, I witnessed the parade procession that began at noon. People on parade floats and bikers and walkers waved to the onlookers and passed out items such as condoms, health and beauty products from P&G companies, and candy. This day had blistering heat. In close-to-100-degree weather, my friends and I constantly quenched our thirst with water.

That night, I turned in my assignment: Introduction to your Discipline. This paper briefly covered when and how public health became a recognized profession; career options in public health; best schools and companies for public health professionals; current issues and new developments; major journals and publications; and how I see myself in the future in this discipline.

WEEK THREE

June 18th –
I read more interviews as part of my research during the day. Our session was about searching for internal and external funding for graduate school. I took notes on some funding opportunities that could pertain to me; one in particular was the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, for which first-generation and second-generation Americans are eligible. Later, I discovered I could not apply because I am pursuing a combined/joint degree.

When I think about graduate school, I am very concerned about how I will fully fund my education. In addition to being a full-time student, how would I cover living expenses? Financial aid stays on my mind as a potential barrier for me in completing my Master degree. Nevertheless, I will be proactive and persistent, and apply for both small and big funding, and look into both internal and external sources.
Helpful Hint: The 1-year-rule: The deadline for scholarships and fellowships is usually a year BEFORE you need the funding

June 19th –
I attended my GRE Quantitative Reasoning session. The session starts with a 10 minute quiz and then we review the answers. The instructors ask the scholars to explain how we arrived at a solution. It was always challenging but I was able to reinforce mathematical concepts and learn how to think smart, and not to think hard.

June 20th –
The evening session was about “Integrating Scholarship & Service,” presented by a graduate student in Education. Service during college should be done consistently, and not in spurts of activity, but one or a few activities that are sustained for years at a time. The presenter also mentioned how service trips could be problematic because the impact could be temporary, and possibly even detrimental to communities. This prompted me to consider how my alternative break trips were impacting the communities we visited, and if we were doing more harm than good.

June 21st –
After eating dinner together, the Scholars were transported by Ms. Diana, Sunny, and Natalie to Sycamore Mall Cinema to watch movies! This counted as a mandatory group social outing; we could choose to watch Incredibles II or Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. While SROP provided transportation to and from the movies, we each had to pay for our own tickets. Thankfully, Thursdays are discount days for students. We paid $6.00 admission and popcorn was free for us! What a deal! This mandatory movie night soothed my soul as I was waiting for 14 years between the first Incredible movie and its sequel. I was immensely impressed by the film and the Pixar short, Bao, that preceded it. We had a conversation during the car ride back to our dorm about Bao and culture.

June 22nd –
Our presenter for the day was a professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department. His presentation “Water Quality and Public Health” began with a photo of John Snow, the father of epidemiology. He talked about public health and how his work in engineering would help improve public health in Iowa City. I was happy that we had a speaker mention the field I’m pursuing! I learned that the University of Iowa uses the Iowa river for their drinking water. There is a water treatment plant on campus that tests and treats the water. One of my fellow Scholars is the mentee for this professor, and she talked with animosity when she told us how she would actually go down to the river and collect samples for the lab! We regulate and treat water for a few purposes: for human and ecological health, for aesthetic purposes (cloudy water can still be clean, but people may not drink because of perceived impurities), and for economic purposes (acidic, corrosive water erodes pipes and the costs add up). This was another lecture that I really enjoyed. Furthermore, I already knew some of the information presented. I still took two pages of notes because there was a wealth of information that I did not know beforehand.

After dinner, I put on a long-sleeve shirt because I was going to visit a pet store. Two friends and I took a Lyft to PetLand at Sycamore Mall, just a couple miles away, for some pet therapy. Interacting with animals is soothing to many people. I love seeing fluffy animals who are just as excited to see you as you are to see them! I loved the bunnies and puppies the best. All the kittens had been bought, but there were still plenty of pets to be played with and sent off to good homes: ferrets, parakeets, guinea pigs, rats, reptiles, and fish. My friends and I spent an hour or so here. My favorite dog we spent time with was a Shiba inu puppy who was female. We looked up a Japanese name for her, and found that Haru seemed fitting. Haru means spring, and to me, it fits the puppy because when I think of spring, I think of flowers blooming and happiness in general. Spring means new beginnings, and this puppy was just starting her life. It was such a pleasant experience and I was relieved to get away from campus and to see animals. This excursion contributed to my self-care.

WEEKEND –
On Saturday, after a day of doing homework, with an hour-long nap in between, my friends and I went to Iowa City’s Downtown Block Party. This second annual block party involved many constituents. There were a plethora of games, including giant Jenga, Four Square, mini golf, and sand volleyball. We spent an hour outside exploring what the party had to offer; we returned to the dorm dining hall for dinner before we explored more of the party. Many of the Scholars attended the party. I enjoyed playing Four Square; it was my first time playing this game. We went to the public library to sign up for the Mario Kart tournament; there were many youth signed up to play the game, so after almost an hour of waiting, most of my friend group left the library. One or two stayed behind to actually play the game. After reuniting with some friends at Blaze Pizza, we walked around downtown some more. However, the streets were getting more crowded and the night was getting darker. We went back to Burge. That night, we had our usual Hallway Hours, where we hang out in the hallway and chat about anything. It is nice to unwind at the end of a long day by discussing life matters with your friends.

Iowa City is actually quite pretty.

On Sunday, I took a full practice GRE test using the Kaplan website. The downside of this was that I was in a coffee shop and music played nonstop. This was not an ideal environment in which to take a test. While I improved by seven points in quantitative reasoning, I dropped around twenty points in verbal, which was an extreme shock to me. Verbal should have come easily to me. After eating lunch, I reviewed my answers and looked at the explanations for the problems that I got wrong. I learned what I did incorrectly and how to correctly approach problems. After dinner, my friends and I played Betrayal at the House on the Hill, my new favorite board game. We played in one of the lounges on the floor. We went through two rounds of the game before we returned to our respective rooms to sleep and recharge for another eventful week.

WEEK FOUR

June 25th –
I spent most of the day working on my research and reviewing the interviews that I already had coded After lunch, I continued my review of past interviews in order to find themes and analyze the findings. Research is a continuous process and even if I code an interview, revisions often occur. The seminar for the day was about curriculum vitaes (CVs) and crafting statements of purpose, presented by a Ph.D. student in the Communications department. This session was very helpful for me as I learned how to write effective CVs and statements.

Some helpful advice this grad student gave was to reach out to potential faculty that I would want to work with, and email them to get to know them and ask if they are taking on new advisees for the year I plan to enter grad school. I should communicate with this faculty member multiple times to determine if the relationship as advisor and advisee would be compatible. Additionally, the CV tips were the most helpful because I had never made a CV prior to SROP.

Some CV tips:

– No bullet points. Those are for resumes.
– CVs and personal statements should match in terms of content, fonts used, etc.
– CVs should include headings like name & contact details; education; experiences; extracurricular activities; awards and honors; conference presentations, etc. 
– CVs get longer and longer throughout a person’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional careers.
– Keep them black and white, unless in the graphic design field.

After the session, one of the graduate assistants Natalie returned our “Introduction to Your Discipline” assignments to us. She commented that I had a “Nice Paper!”

After dinner, my friends and I visited the Van Allen observatory, which is on top of the physics and astronomy building.

We watched the sunset from six stories high. 

We also played the haunted house board game again, and I appreciated getting to bond some more with my friends.

June 26th –
I had no scheduled meetings but continued reviewing interview transcripts. I also viewed additional data from the college students; this data consisted of questionnaire answers, and it provided me with a better understanding of the subjects. Some questions pertained to health, such as exposure to radon in the home, and safety. My research question would most likely relate to health and housing; I still only had a vague idea of my topic and research question. I came up with a research question for the time being, and would refine this question through my research. That evening, the Scholars attended our GRE sessions, and I went to my last Quantitative session. The next time we meet, I would attend my Verbal session for tutoring.

June 27th –
Our session was solely on personal statements, and was presented by the Writing Center. Our personal statement should not be our whole life story condensed onto one to two pages, but it should reflect a couple parts of our lives that we want to highlight. To jumpstart our brainstorming, we were asked to describe ourselves using adjectives, and I think I chose “Persistent.” The Writing Center presenter showed us some samples of introductory paragraphs, and we voted which statements were the most compelling and intriguing. There is no one correct writing style; each person writes differently, so naturally we disagreed on which statement made us want to read more. These statements also gave me some insight into how to start my own statement, whether through a shocking one-liner or through immersing the reader into a scenario from the past.

Some tips I took away from this session:
– Use simple and elegant prose.
– Do not make sentence structures complicated.
– Read your writing out loud to catch more mistakes or clunky sentences.
– Read many examples of statements, but be sure to not plagiarize!
– Avoid generic statements such as “I just want to help people.”
– Do not use “I believe” or “I think.” These just take up more space and are not necessary.

June 28th –
The Scholars learned about ethics and research integrity, from a staff member from the Human Subjects Office. Even though we all did CITI training online before we even arrived on campus, we refreshed our memories of how to be ethical researchers.

June 29th –
At this session, we had a professor speak on the Art of Black Students for the first half, and a professor discuss her work with marginalized students in education for the latter half. The first professor asked which scholars attended schools with African-American studies or Black studies programs? Only about six of the 24 of us had African-American studies programs at our institutions, whereas none of us had something called Black studies. I was unsure of the distinction between the two. This professor’s dissertation had been on defining Black studies; programs dedicated to this area of study began in 1968. During class, we read a poem called “For My People” by Margaret Walker; the poem was one piece of a book she wrote for a Master’s thesis. She was the first African-American woman to earn her MFA in Writing. This was a powerful poem and encouraged me to read more of her work in the future.

The second half of the session, a professor presented “People, Place, and Policy: Examining Access to Opportunity for Marginalized Students,” and this was a lecture that I particularly enjoyed because of my interest in education and my experiences in education as a marginalized student myself. She talked about school choice, school testing, desegregation, discipline, health policy, standards-based accountability, and immigration. A startling statistic she shared was that 400 school districts are still under desegregation orders, in 2018! This equates to over a thousand schools, the majority of which are in the South. This impressive woman is working on seven studies; one of them is about the intersection of education and immigration policies, and this is very important in order to accommodate and meet the needs of immigrant and refugee students. This professor also suggested we find “academic crushes,” people in our fields who we look up to, and see how they got to where they are. She also said that we do not need to plot out our entire life!

WEEKEND –
The Saturday morning involved some physical exertion. We had our first volunteering event, and it was with Habitat for Humanity! Half of the Scholars had a shift in the morning, and the other half had an afternoon shift. It was hot and sunny that day, but thankfully my partner and I were on the area of a roof where we were underneath some shade. This was my first time working on a home; this house will eventually go to a family of five: a couple with three high-school or middle-school aged children.

Part Two of this blog segment will be posted shortly. (It was intended to be posted at the end of July, but I did not have the time to work on either Part One or Part II this summer.) I apologize to all my readers for this extended hiatus!

CHAMPS: Careers in Health and Medical Professions

In June 2017, I had the opportunity to work with the 2017 cohort of CHAMPS: Careers in Health and Medical Professions, a three-week long academically enriching summer institute held at Cleveland State University. Cleveland residents and 1st ring high school students of Cleveland are able to participate at no cost to them, thanks to the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and The Cleveland Foundation. Founded in 2009, CHAMPS is “an academic and skills-based program designed for high school students who are interested in professional careers in the medical and/or health fields.”

Cleveland State University photograph of its Student Center

Students in the summer cohorts build awareness of medical and health careers while increasing their science and math knowledge. CHAMPS improves college readiness and sharpens the students’ personal skills through the hands-on activities and interaction with students from other high schools, teachers, college professors, and career professionals in a college laboratory setting. The 2017 program officially began June 12th and would last until June 30. Each of the 24 students would receive a $650 stipend after completing the program! Coming into CHAMPS, I was hopeful that I would serve as a great role model for the high school students and complete my duties efficiently and diligently. My position was being a college mentor and assisting the teachers and students. The camp was from 9 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday.

No automatic alt text available.
The fun and learning does not cease after the program ends each summer! There are four Academic Year Follow Up
meetings for the students to participate in as well. Students have engaged in activities such as first aid & CPR training,
and learned about immunology and the different body systems.
This year, the research revolved around testing and evaluating the effectiveness of various spice extracts and
their antibacterial effects. These would then be compared to effects of known antibiotics. Students would review
scholarly articles, write a paper, and present their findings to the rest of the cohort. The students were divided
randomly into six groups, each group studying either garlic, cinnamon, clove, ginger, cumin, or turmeric for the
three weeks. They would do a lot of the research independently and collaborate together to present as the six groups
at the end-of-program banquet/luncheon. This banquet would be open to their families and teachers to attend.
In charge of the program is Dr. Ferguson. He has three high school teachers facilitate the lessons/lectures: Mr. Keller,
Ms. Stuhm, and Ms. Girard. There were two student workers, Jackie, and Jemima, and then two AmeriCorps members
named Constantine and Stephanie, who plan to attend medical school in the future! I was assistant also and got to
interact with the teens and accompany them on the field trips.

 

 

 

Summer Curriculum

Week One

  • Monday: Administrative Tasks, Team Building, Spice Research, Antibiotic Research
    • This day was spent doing icebreakers and introductions and getting students settled into the program. Drawstring backpacks containing journals, pencils, pens, post-it notes, and a ruler were given so students could keep lab notebooks and remain organized during their activities. In the afternoon, they read articles about antibiotics and resistance to gain background on the topics for the institute. Each of the six groups presented to the class about their specific article.

      This was one aisle of the lab we were in. There were about four aisles total.

  • Tuesday: Aseptic Technique Intro, Agar Preparation
    • Students received their own lab coats and neon biohazard safety goggles and were able to begin the hands-on lab activities. Each group chose a spice to study. They also prepared agar using beakers, graduated cylinders, petri dishes, hot plates, and heat gloves. This can be an hours-long process to boil, but the students were patient. Agar is a medium that can be used to grow microbe cultures.

      Cart full of flasks containing agar

      Boiling the agar

  • Wednesday: Broth Media Preparation, Spice Extract Preparation
    • Students continued with their experiments using their group’s spice. I witnessed them pounding their spice using mortar and pestle, and then pouring over it using water and mixing it with a type of alcohol until it got to a consistency of a Slushy drink.

      Which spice is this?

      They then poured this into a funnel and over a filter to get it into a beaker.

      A colorful array

      They poured their agar onto plates, like the one shown.

      Photo is from Wiki Commons

    • We also attended a talk/Q&A session with Dr. Sonja Harris-Haywood, M.D. and M.S., who is a very distinguished and diligent professional! I learned that it’s not about natural gifts or intelligence; a lot of efforts can be obtained through GRIT. She struggled with dyslexia, which lead to difficulties especially in English classes, but her competitiveness helped her overcome this. She forced herself to keep at it and not give up because her passion was medicine. I had to leave early but I am glad the students got to hear about her experiences and how some bad grades do not determine someone’s worth or mean that they are automatically excluded from success. Even failing all her classes freshman year, she turned it all around.
      (Read more about her here: https://www.csuohio.edu/news/dr-sonja-harris-haywood-appointed-director-neomed-csu-partnership-for-urban-health)

      Dr. Harris-Haywood telling us about how GRIT got her places

  • Thursday: Bacterial inoculations, OT lab experience
    • We inoculated broth media and used the bacteria: e. Coli, staphylococcus epidermidis, enterococcus faecalis, and klebsiella pneumonia. Afterwards, students researched the morphology, habitat, transmission, symptoms, and treatment of each bacteria. CHAMPS has our own collection of MacBook’s for the students to use!
    • We attended a session with an Occupational Therapist! Dr. Keptner has a Ph.D. in epidemiology and biostatistics, and has had experience in hospitals, schools, and other places. She has worked with people of all ages, and people who committed criminal offenses, who were injured at work, or suffer from mental illnesses. This was my first time meeting an OT and learning what the field is all about! I learned an enormous amount about what the work entails as well as what innovations are available to improve people’s lives and help them with functioning tasks like eating, sleeping, using the restroom, etc. I was left amazed at how this field is so versatile and influential.

      “OT, OT, is never much love when we go OT” – Drake

      (http://facultyprofile.csuohio.edu/csufacultyprofile/detail.cfm?FacultyID=K_KEPTNER)

  • Friday: Plate spreading, adding extract to plates, serial dilutions
    • This day was the most lab-heavy (we spent all day in the lab in our disposable lab coats and goggles). Students did serial microbiology, spread plates, and added their spice extracts and antibiotics to these plates. I was more involved in going around to each group to assist them through the over 20 step procedures.

      A kid was amazed that I knew most of the 24 students’ names already! Honestly, it was not that hard to learn their names; plus, it make anyone feel special when someone knows their name. We accomplished so much this day. On Monday, we will be checking to see where and in which Petri dishes the bacteria grew, and if the students’ hypotheses were correct for whether a spice or an antibiotic would have more antimicrobial activity than the other.

      A microbiology lab at CSU

      Listening to and watching the teacher demonstrate is very important. This is in our normal lab room.

Week Two

  • Monday: Dittrick Medical Museum, Creating Data Tables, Measuring Zone of Inhibit, Research Paper Intro, PT Lab Experience
    • First thing in the morning, we took our first field trip to the Dittrick Museum of Medical History, located on Case Western Reserve University’s campus. I LOVED the museum! It’s filled with images, artifacts, rare books, and archives. The walls are super thick because the architects/builders wanted to ensure these items wouldn’t be harmed from explosions/bombs back in the day. We went up an ornate staircase, where we saw two massive paintings of Greek gods/goddesses.

      The beginning of our tour of the Dittrick Medical History Museum

      The CHAMPS cohort, minus Dr. Ferguson, and Jackie and Jemima
      Photo credit: Ms. Girard
      Bottom row in the middle are Constantine and I

      Next were rooms of books, and some students were there studying (most likely medical students). A Research Associate named Dr. Brandy gave us a tour and provided us with valuable information about how medicine has come a long way. I could tell she was so passionate about what she does, because she kept us engaged and hanging on her every word! We learned about the origins of defibrillators and stethoscopes. We learned about how/why contraceptives were banned and that literature about it was seen as obscene. I was amazed at everything, and I will definitely return to continue looking at the artifacts here. Some parts of the museum were interactive, like a four-panel touch-screen TV wall. The galleries range from diagnostic instruments to doctor’s offices in 1870s and 1930s to surgery to hospital medicine, and much more. It’s FREE to the public so please check it out!!

      Source URL:http://case.edu/affil/skuyhistcontraception/exhibit/still-link-panorama.jpg

      https://dittrickmuseumblog.com/
      http://artsci.case.edu/Dittrick/

    • In the afternoon, students reviewed their petri dishes and measured in millimeters the Zone of Inhibition, or the area where there is no growth of bacteria. I helped a few groups figure out how to measure and record the data into their lab journals. Some growth was peculiar and I was instructed to call this “experimental error.”

      Me examining a student’s petri dish’s growth of bacteria

      This student group calls themselves the Professional Savages, but they’re actually the sweetest bunch of kids.

      One of my favorite parts of this job is the students and their unique personalities.

    • We then went to the Center for Innovations in Medical Professions building down the street from us at CSU and interacted with Doctor of Physical Therapy students and staff! We saw and got to touch different aids like walkers and crutches, and balanced on different balances (some square shaped, some circular, and some were foam mats). We also got into wheelchairs to test our maneuverability in an obstacle course.

      Physical therapy – for athletes, the disabled, the elderly, and more

       

  • Tuesday: NEON Medical Center Visit, Effect of Drugs Lab
    • In the morning, we visited Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services, Inc. (NEON Health Services) at one of their seven locations, in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland. They are a Federally Qualified Health Center and  provide accessible, community-based health care in a sensitive, caring environment. There’s dental services, family medicine, primary care, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, nutrition and behavioral health. Everyone was friendly to us and welcomed us warmly to NEON.

      Ms. Saleem, a very animated, friendly woman who one CHAMPS participant said reminded him of his grandmother, to her face

      We were greeted by a provider relations manager, health administration intern, pre-med student, and diabetes empowerment program coordinator. After an introduction about the facility, we learned about the Ohio Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative from Ms. Saleem, a Centering Pregnancy Coordinator. She talked with us about infant mortality, including in Cuyahoga County, and she shed light on the subject and I found out that in 44128 (Warrensville Heights), the rate for infant mortality was especially high for African American babies. This can be attributed to multiple factors like families being higher up on the career ladder experiencing more stress and pressure from jobs, and from racial discrimination from healthcare providers.

      Centering Pregnancy room at NEON-Hough. It’s a group setting so pregnant women bond with each other while coming in for their exams.

      Additionally, we learned what a Baby Box is. Ms. Saleem asked us many questions so we would play an active part in the discussion and retain this information better! Later we heard from Mr. White, Daddy Boot Camp coordinator, and he was extremely funny while relaying his information. We took a tour of the health center; I saw some adult medicine waiting rooms, the Centering Pregnancy room in the basement, and an X-ray room. It never ceases to amaze me that I learn a great deal each day I am with CHAMPS!

      The baby box is multi-purpose. It carries supplies but can also serve as a bed for the baby, which comes in handy especially when being transported between parents and to caregivers like grandparents’ homes. Also, some people cannot afford cribs.

      http://www.neonhealth.org/
      https://www.babyboxco.com/

    • The afternoon comprised of an Effects of Drugs lab, in our chemistry lab classroom. Each of the six groups were given a different drug, such as aspirin, caffeine, adrenaline, lactic acid, and nicotine. We used live organisms: brine shrimp, or daphnia (basically sea monkeys) to test the effects of the drug on their body systems. The students measured how many times a shrimp subject would flap its appendages for 30 seconds, and do this for a total of three trials. They multiplied this number to get the number of beats per 60 seconds. This would serve as the baseline, for comparison. After adding the drug, they counted how many times their shrimp flapped, for 30 seconds, and multiplying it for 60 seconds. They then recorded the increase or decrease in beats per 30 seconds and for 60 seconds. They also found the averages for this data. Sadly, many of the shrimp died, as their lifespan is incredibly short.

      Daphnia (Rest in Peace)

  • Wednesday: Center for Innovations in Medical Professions (CIMP) Building Tour
    • The entire morning, we spent in the CIMP building at CSU, which opened in 2015 and is 100,000 square feet. It cost $47 million to complete.

      Outside view of the Center of Innovations in Medical Professions building, in the center of CSU’s campus

      We heard from a nurse, an audiologist, and speech-hearing pathologist. We watched videos about these three career fields. We also toured part of the building, which truly is a work of art. It’s a hub of activity because there’s nurse simulation labs here, as well as a health & wellness clinic that all students and staff can access. Furthermore, there’s a healthy café, speech & hearing clinic, OT/PT rooms, Distance Learning rooms, meeting rooms, and quiet study areas.

      Audiologist and speech & hearing pathologist!

      It was exciting to visit the audiology rooms and speech-hearing therapy rooms as well as to hear about some experiences the professionals had that make their work worthwhile.

      An audiology testing area

      We stopped by an audiology therapy room, which has a ball pit (one child patient can only focus and cooperate when in the ball pit) and also a tall cylindrical lamp that contains water and changes colors (this helps kids focus, too.)

      A therapeutic room for all ages

      We visited one training room where a man in the CSU-NEOMED (Northeast Ohio Medical University) Partnership program spoke to us about blood pressure. Two students checked their blood pressure. The ideal number is 120/80.

      A nursing simulation lab with a realistic, responsive mannequin boy with ‘flushed red cheeks’

      We went into a nursing simulation lab, which had over a handful of mannequins (they do not like being called dummies.) Only two mannequins were specialized and much more technological. They could sweat and cry as if they were real! A voice (the nursing instructor) could emit from their mouths. The eyes could open and close. It was very fascinating. These mannequins are extremely heavy and costly. The nursing program here truly strives to make this setting as realistic as they can for the students to learn and treat the patients. For example, to create a foul smell from a wound, the instructor would combine parmesan juice and lemon juice, I believe. They actually have a book with ‘recipes’ on how to construct different wounds and bodily fluids/acids.

      Additionally, we discussed the Iron Lung, which was a key invention that helped people suffering from polio. Iron lungs are no longer needed in this day, thanks to Jonas Salks’ vaccine for polio in 1955! The disease is basically eradicated completely. In one corner of the CIMP building is an iron lung, painted in a bright pastel yellow color. It suits its nickname “The Yellow Submarine.”

      Iron Lung, donated by MetroHealth Medical Center to the Center of Innovations in Medical Professions

      Overall, it was a wonderful tour that expanded my knowledge some more. For example, we were told the distinction between a BSN and RN. BSN is an academic degree while an RN is a license and depends on the state one practices in. Another fact/life tip was that if you have headphones on and cannot hear someone talk normally to you, your music/audio is too loud! In this century, more younger folks are experiencing hearing loss and may require aids because of their too loud tunes.

    • After lunch, students compiled their Effect of Drugs data into charts to discuss their findings with the rest of the cohort. The room was full of chatter and cooperation for the hour we had left for the day. I helped groups with their questions and designing their tables. They also wanted assistance in writing their hypotheses and conclusions. I was so happy to be of help, and I loved the conversations I was having with the students.

      Artsy lab picture by Jemima

  • Thursday: Epidemiology activity, research paper
    • The morning and early afternoon revolved around preparing to write their major research paper! The six groups of students would begin working on their research paper, which has seven parts to it: (1) The title page, (2) Abstract, (3) Background Information, (4) Methods, (5) Results, (6) Discussion, and (7) Reference Page. Mr. Keller informed them that Purdue Owl was their #1 resource when writing their paper. He told them about proper in-text citations. At least two graphs of data would also be required in the paper. Furthermore, credible sources like PubMed or articles from Google Scholar were needed; not every source can be trusted and therefore cited.

      Classroom 420

    • For an hour, we touched base on the fascinating earth-shattering field of epidemiology, which I am also considering as a career path. Ms. Stuhm began by having students write down as many infectious diseases as they could think of. She introduced what epidemiology was, which is more than just about infectious diseases. It involves being a ‘disease detective’, as she calls it, and finding out the sources causing an illness or health issue. Ms. Stuhm gave out an activity about John Snow investigating a cholera outbreak in London.

      http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/3/14/1363295337709/johnsnowillustration.png
      John Snow, father of epidemiology

      One side of the room would be John Snow scientists who argued that contaminated water was the culprit, and the other side had scientists of the time who refused to accept new knowledge, and credited the ‘bad air’ for making people ill. After some brief group time, they came together for a debate! This debate was great, and involved a bunch of back-and-forth. Ms. Stuhm was impressed.

      Short video we watched for context on epidemiology

      So how did John Snow, a physician, pinpoint the source and solve the problem? He went house to house to ask people who were infected, and discovered that those living closest to the water wells were more sick than others who lived farther away. He found the one well that was doing the most damage and leaking to the rest of the water supply! At the end of the day, both sides provided good arguments, and it was a tie.

      Debate moderated by Ms. Stuhm

       

  • Friday: Microbiology lab, gram staining, CIMP building nurse discussion
    • In the morning, we were back in the microbiology lab to do gram staining of their bacteria to determine if they were gram positive, which would show up as purple on their microscope slide, or gram negative. which would be a pink color. The procedure for this required 23 materials and was the most complicated lab these students would encounter during CHAMPS. We learned the three basic shapes for bacteria: cocci (circular or clusters of circles), rod-shape, or spiral-shape.

      Me assisting a group who call themselves Dub Nation

      Even I was nervous while helping the students because we had to follow the steps exactly and we had to know what we were doing. We also could not feel rushed or else our results could be jeopardized. I accidentally told the students the wrong thing to use, so they had to start over. If I am unsure I must double-check with a teacher first before telling the student.

      Bacteria comes in different shapes.

    • After a brief hour of working more on their research papers, we headed back to the Center of Innovations in Medical Professions building down the street to hear from two women, both with advanced degrees. One, Dr. Matthews, is a Doctor of Nursing Practice. All of her degrees, from Bachelors to Masters to DNP come from Cleveland State! Her biggest struggle in school was having support, because she lost her mom at age 18, and even a nursing professor doubted she’d make it through school. However, she persisted and achieved so much; she graduated summa cum laude from CSU.
      Another lady we talked to was from Nigeria. Dr. Adedipe has her Ph.D. in nursing, and loves teaching students. What I gained from this discussion is that motivation is a crucial part of succeeding; everyone has their own definition of success. Things will be hard, but will be worth it! Others, even family members and friends, may doubt or discourage you, but you listen to your own heart!

Week Three

  • Monday: College Prep Lecture, CPR Training Part I, Lamb Hearts, and CSU Campus Tour
    • The morning started off with a speaker, Ms. Nudell, from CSU, discussing college preparation with the kids. She asked them what internships have they had and which they did like, or disliked. What math classes were they taking? What college classes have they taken? She also provided them with papers relating to scholarships/financial aid and a college comparison chart to help them think carefully about their college choices. Some kids wanted to get out of the state, while others want to go to a big school.

      College prep lecture

    • We then went to the CIMP building for CPR training. We mostly watched videos and then had the chance to practice techniques for a choking individual.
    • Next, a familiar face came into the room. A former AmeriCorps member who I met when I was in high school and now current NEOMED employee Jonathan Tyes strolled in! He’s on his way to medical school to be an orthopedic surgeon. He demonstrated to us how to cut open lamb hearts (which he got from a Middle Eastern grocery store) and had the kids put on gloves and get in on the action! He asked what were the parts of the heart and how does blood circulate? He did not lecture us, but had us all engaged in the learning and critically thinking. Mr. Tyes is SO intelligent and kind; he’s one of my role models.

      Lamb hearts

    • After lunch, we had a Welcome to CSU overview by an admissions counselor. Then we toured CSU campus: the rec center, the Science building, Main Classroom, Student Center, Engineering College, and Fenn Tower! This was my first time seeing what some CSU dorms look like and they looked nice.

      Great admissions presentation by a CSU alumna

       

  • Tuesday: CPR Training Part II, more research paper writing
    • The kids spent more time working on their group research paper. I assisted some groups with editing, looking at references, and paper formatting. The teachers informed the class what they expected in terms of their PowerPoint presentation and announced the order in which the groups would go.
    • We finished our CPR training and we will receive our certifications in a week or two! We are trained in the differences when treating infants, children, and adults (anyone over age 12.) We can also use an AED. It went so well, and I feel confident in all of us being competent enough to save someone in need. This training can truly help a person’s life.

      The CPR instructors!

       

  • Wednesday: University Hospitals of Cleveland Visit
    • This was a busy day, but super fun! In the morning we heard from Ms. Okwudi, academic advisor for the CSU-NEOMED Partnership for Urban Health program. She spoke with us about health careers, and how vast it is. She showed us the website for the Occupational Outlook handbook
      (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/)
      Here is more information about CSU’s baccalaureate/M.D. program!
      (https://www.csuohio.edu/sciences/neomed/baccalaureatemd-program)
    • We embarked on another field trip, to University Hospitals! I was extremely eager to tour this facility and see what lay in store for us. CHAMPS met with the UH Health Scholars, a group of underrepresented African-American and Latino/Hispanic rising 8th graders and 9th graders interested in medicine. These Scholars are in a five-week intensive program and are assigned to one of nine medical disciplines, and they have research as well as a mentor in that area. This summer camp also provides students with transportation passes and meals! There’s field trips and hands-on learning, just like in CHAMPS! We were able to hear from an inspiring doctor and then over pizza, CHAMPS and the Health Scholars mingled to learn more about each other. After lunch, we went on a tour of UH, and were split up into groups. CHAMPS students were paired with the UH kids and along the way, CHAMPS kids talked to them about what high school would be like.We saw the Seidman Cancer Center and traveled next door to Case Western Reserve University, where we went into an auditorium to listen to a panel of two rising second-year medical students. These students were the valedictorians of their high schools and also were debt-free for their undergraduate education. In medical school, this was not the case for them; they have loans and are also burdened with classes for the day and studying for hours. It is not recommended to hold a job while in med school. However, the hard work and sacrifice pay off eventually.

      Madison captioned this pic in the CHAMPS group chat as “CHAMPS Mom & Me”

      I really was amazed when we visited UH – Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. The facility was so interesting and colorful; it really made me feel relaxed. Additionally, the rooftop garden, Angie’s Garden, was the most breathtaking scene for me. Attached is an indoor space called the Horticultural Therapy Suite. These resources can be therapeutic for the children cancer patients, as they can garden and get sunshine while overlooking the grounds and being able to see as far as Lake Erie from where they are! The garden has comfy rainbow-color plush or foam-like chairs as well as lawn chairs. This is a great relaxing area and I would want to come here if I was afflicted with illness as a child.

      Giraffe sculpture

      http://www.uhhospitals.org/
      http://www.uhhospitals.org/about/diversity-and-inclusion/health-scholars-internship-program
      http://www.uhgiving.org/uh-giving/impact-of-your-gift/in-the-spotlight/healing-space
      http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/06/angies_garden_at_uh_open_to_th.html
      http://www.uhhospitals.org/rainbow/services/hematology-and-oncology/services/our-centers/adolescent-and-young-adult-cancer-center/angies-garden

  • Thursday: Research Paper Writing & PowerPoint Presentation, Physician Assistants
    • The entire morning, we spent on wrapping up our research papers and making tremendous progress on the PowerPoints. By tonight, all students need to finalize their work.
    • For an hour and a half, we went to the CIMP building to speak with a panel of five Physician Assistant students! After presenting on how to get to PA school and what the application looked like, they had three stations around the room: how to check vitals, the stethoscope technique, and hearing/auditory testing.

      Madison and I – Her suggested caption was “We pray for our enemies”

  • Friday: Luncheon and presentations
    • The culmination of our three weeks worth of work! In the morning, CHAMPS rehearsed our presentations. Shortly after, we went to Fenn Tower, third floor, for the banquet in the Ballroom! At least 130 people were on the RSVP list! Included were everyone we met during camp – the doctors, nurses, OTs, PTs, and other people who talked to us, even the UH Health Scholars.

      Everyone involved with CHAMPS is in this photo!

    • The banquet went by smoothly and quicker than expected. The six groups presented one right after the other. They were given certificates for completing CHAMPS as well as goodie bags (inside had a CSU shirt, thermos cup, mini stapler, and more). Everyone was dressed professionally. I felt pride in seeing their work. The lasagna, garlic bread, salad, eclairs, kebabs, and one of my students’ cupcakes made for a wonderful meal.
    • After the banquet, we had some students participate in focus groups, to gauge their thoughts on CHAMPS. This data would be transcribed and analyzed for future purposes in improving CHAMPS.

Reflection
My experience with CHAMPS was enlightening. I learned more about interacting with youth. Although they were the ages of 15, 16, and 17, and I was only 19, I had to improve on how to talk to students. My listening and empathy skills were especially put to use on the second day when one student revealed to me the struggles she endured growing up, and how frustrated she was that no one was really there to support her. This rattled my core; I realized how brave she was for disclosing this to me, and that I have the power to help her go down the right path and not succumb to negatively-impacting behaviors. These students are the future; we as a society have to watch out for those who are at risk of not doing well because of the environments they’re in. Therefore, the most challenging part was learning how to reach out to students and keep them motivated and on-task. Some were on their phones when they were supposed to be working on their papers, but I used assertiveness. “I better see all laptops out.” “You can do this.” A few times I caught the same student falling asleep because she’s been deprived. I have woken her up when I see this occurring. Sometimes I feel like a teacher and not like a peer.

However, I do feel like I bonded with some teens. It takes time to get to know them, and for them to know me! A few students greeted me every time they saw me, which was pleasant. That shows they acknowledge and respect me! They asked me questions about my college background and my career plans. One asked what my hobbies were. All of the students were racial minorities (non-white) and were mostly from urban schools, including the high school that I graduated from. I could relate to the majority of the students in some ways, but in other ways, I could never fully understand what they have been through.

During the last week of CHAMPS, the students added me to their group chat on GroupMe. They call themselves Champers (#Champers2k17), and I was given the name #ChampsMom. This group chat is hilarious because the kids write their messages in the most sophisticated way they can, using rarer vocabulary words, and we keep this going no matter what.

As for my career skills, I gained or strengthened in youth development, professionalism, patience, responsibility, and of course, leadership! I was patient and calm when directing the students through the assignments. I arrived to work early each day and followed all rules. I never cursed or was rude to anyone. From CHAMPS, I learned that working with teens is an interest of mine. They can follow directions more than younger kids, and are more independent. Especially with these smart, polite teens, there was often no trouble during the program. I do hope that there are more summer programs like this to get youth interested in their lives and passionate about something!

A favorite part of my time with CHAMPS was getting the different field trip experiences, like the medical history museum (which I had no knowledge of its existence beforehand!). I benefitted from the lab experience, too. I learned about aseptic technique, and about the valuable resources right in Cleveland. I do not take anything for granted – my intelligence, or my privilege of obtaining a college education, for free.  I will continue to learn no matter where I am, at least one new piece of information a day.

I must acknowledge thanks to Dr. Ferguson, for creating CHAMPS, and for sharing corny one-liners with the class, and allowing me to be a part of CHAMPS.
Thank you to the teachers Mr. Keller, Ms. Stuhm, and Ms. Girard, who put into reality the activities and guided the students. They were funny and good role models.
Thanks to Stephanie and Constantine, who volunteered their time with the program when their schedules allowed them to.

Mr. Keller and Ms. Stuhm ready to do science!

Ms. Girard!

Thanks to Jemima and Jackie for their efforts in executing CHAMPS!
I appreciate CSU for providing the places for us to conduct our program in, and for the daily lunches for the students.
Thank you to NEOMED for your new building on campus, because it’s a huge resource for everyone.
I must give thanks to all of the places we visited/toured. Everyone learns from our visits.
Thanks to The Cleveland Foundation and Martha-Holden Jennings Foundation.

Thanks so much to the 24 CHAMPS students, who made me laugh, smile, and feel young still in my last year of being a teen. They all worked incredibly hard and demonstrated how much potential they had. It was heartwarming to see them blossom and grow in the program into more intelligent and more research- and science-savvy professionals. They constantly inquired about the world and asked the professionals we met about numerous facets of their work and life.

For more information please look at:

csuchamps@gmail.com
www.csuohio.edu/CHAMPS
CHAMPS also has a Facebook page! Look up CHAMPS: Cleveland State University
To apply, there’s an application on their website (will likely be available January 2018 for that upcoming summer) and a good GPA and references are required.