This summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to do Global Health research here on campus at Hope. I was in awe, the whole summer long, that I could get paid to do work that I loved so much. In fact, I never imagined I could love working on anything so deeply — it was a true joy. People keep asking me what, exactly, my work entailed when I say I was on campus this summer… so here’s a blog detailing all things RESEARCH!
Hope Summer Research in General
The word “research” might bring to mind microscopes, test tubes, and all things hard science. That type of research definitely did happen this summer, but there were also projects done in departments like history, art, and dance. Depending on the project, professor, and amount of students working, research can look a lot different. I have friends who worked a 9-5 in the science center every day with a team of others, but my process was much more individual.
My Experience
My eight weeks of research were one-on-one with my advisor. We were working on a qualitative research project that we’ll continue throughout this fall semester. Over the summer we met about once a week to touch base and bounce ideas off of one another. Other than those weekly hours of meeting together, I was on my own for about 40 hours each week. I planned my own schedule and chose my priorities — when and what I wanted to read, write, and search for sources that meaningfully connected to our project.
Among other things, over the course of summer, I read 60 books, wrote 10,000 words of research entries, and found at least 75 sources that connect to our study. I watched documentaries, listened to podcasts, and took copious notes.
I absolutely loved having so much freedom with what my schedule looked like and the direction I wanted our project to go in. It was such a joy for me to be able to choose on a day-to-day basis what I wanted to work on, and where I wanted to do that work. A lot of my summer looked like going from coffee shop to coffee shop, and I can’t complain about that one bit.
My Favorite Part
I would spend another summer doing research in a heartbeat. The independence and responsibility I had was my favorite part. I loved having the space to decide what I wanted to work on and to pour myself into writing, reading, and learning. I was able to come up with my own ideas and contributions to the project, and I was grateful that my words and ideas were both welcomed and encouraged by my advisor. It was hard and heavy work, but it felt important and right for me. That’s what I really loved.
Advice
For someone interested in summer research, I would recommend talking to your advisor or a professor that you connect with. If you have a particular class that you’re passionate about, don’t be afraid to ask about what opportunities are available for research! You might be surprised about what can happen when you put yourself out there. I took Health Communications last semester and absolutely loved the class and content. So, my advisor helped me get connected with Global Health research.
Wrapping it Up
Doing summer research was a joy for me. Having so much independence was challenging at times, because it required me to really fine-tune my self-motivation and discipline. I am so grateful for the space and freedom to try, and fail, and figure things out. I can’t wait to keep working on my own research project and to see what other amazing projects Hope students and faculty collaborate on in the future.