- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
My STEP signature project was a research internship under a group of four professors from Ohio State, Case Western, and the University of Victoria. I assisted in their research project titled, “Native Americans and African Americans in and out of the US Body Politic from 1780-1940.” During this internship, I learned and developed my research methods.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
Undergoing my project allowed me to gain a greater perspective on what the life of academia looks like for a history professor. The humanities field is often very exclusive due to the financial barrier. The STEP grant allowed me to pursue this research without that weighing on me. However, I will say that this project definitely allowed me to come to the realization that history research is not a future career I want to pursue.
I will say that the nature of our research was beneficial to me because I was able to learn more about historically marginalized groups within American history. This transformed my experience as a citizen of the United States by having a greater knowledge of our history and the untold stories of persecuted groups.
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
The research internship began with an orientation on how to perform historical research through the use of archives. This process would become incredibly frustrating to me throughout the project because archives are inherently lacking in the information you seek to find. This was made present when I began to look for certain records in online databases. The professors helping us described the issue of archival research, saying that it is a frustrating and often times fruitless endeavor. With the time we were given, I wasn’t able to discover all that much. This transformed me and guided me in other research endeavors outside of archival research.
The knowledge and understanding of the topics covered by the professors were incredibly transformative in the sense that I became a better citizen by learning more about the country I live in. I find it very important to learn these untold stories of Native and African Americans in the pre-civil rights movement era because it begins to highlight a longer history for these communities, giving them more agency in their narrative. This was transformative in my perspective that I will take into future courses and life.
Lastly, I will say that the ability to have a research opportunity like this was transformative because while archival research was not my favorite, I was given the opportunity to pursue other types of research. I entered census data from multiple decades of the Ohio census into Excel and then into R, making it possible to illustrate population distribution. This was an excellent skill that I developed throughout the program.
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
Research experience is extremely important to an individual’s resume as it shows the level of critical thinking and inquiry that employers look for. This is in line with my goals to enter policy research and other careers that look for research experience. This experience also bolstered my academic resume of American history in my history minor, matching classroom knowledge with real-world experience.
Additionally, the transformative experience of gaining new perspectives on Native and African American histories is important to my personal goal of becoming a more learned person. I believe that it is important to educate yourself on these untold histories to begin the work of correcting the path of persecution on the road to reconciliation.
Lastly, I developed my teamwork and collaboration skills as I worked with my cohort of research assistants throughout the program. I also networked with them to create a community that will be mutually beneficial in the future.
