Involvement at LSU
Research Ambassadors
As a Research Ambassador, I have volunteered at many research-related events (such as LSU's Discover Day), in addition to outreach events, where I have educated undergraduates on the benefits of participating in faculty-mentored research. Further, I have provided individual, personalized mentoring to underclassmen interested in doing research facilitated and coordinated the connection of undergraduates with potential research mentors. I look forward to utilizing the skills that I have gained as a mentor to my peers as a graduate Teaching Assistant, and I hope that I will be able to continue to encourage undergraduates to participate in faculty-mentored research!
Becoming a Scientist Peer Mentor
In my second year at LSU, I applied to be a Teaching Assistant in “SCI 1001: Becoming a Scientist,” an introductory class in the College of Science designed to acclimate freshmen to the pursuit of science at the university level. In the two years since receiving and accepting the job offer, I have assisted in the delivery of three sections of the course and reached 66 students. In this role, I performed one-on-one mentoring, grading, and presenting of class information, while frequently interacting with my students in and after class and through email. In doing so, I have uncovered my own passion for teaching and feel incredibly lucky to have formed meaningful connections while truly helping students at the beginning of their college journey. In my experience, simple kindness and a willingness to listen are two vital traits of an instructor or mentor, and are ideas that I will prioritize as a graduate TA and as a mentor to undergraduate researchers.
Through interacting with my students in and after class, over email, and through grading their assignments, I have gained an appreciation for how important it is to understand how each individual learns. To my student who found it difficult to comprehend material from a spoken lecture, I recommended my favorite biology YouTube channels. To my student struggling to remember polyatomic ions, I introduced my favorite acronyms to memorize them and the website I used to devise them. And, to my student who had trouble staying off of her phone while studying, I first recommended the use of a Pomodoro timer. When that didn’t work, I suggested that she take a time-lapse video of herself while studying to hold herself accountable and to make social media inaccessible. The interaction that is most memorable, however, occurred one day after class, when one of my students confessed that she had been feeling unintelligent and unworthy in her classes. This was largely because she had only recently moved to the United States from a Spanish-speaking country and started using English daily, but we chatted for over an hour about homesickness, imposter syndrome, and how incredible her accomplishment of moving and establishing herself in a foreign country was. From that day forward, I graded each of her assignments in Spanish, if only leaving a brief "¡muy bien!" on the top of her paper. On the last day of class, she expressed her gratitude to me for helping her to realize her strength and succeed, and for helping her feel accepted and less alone. As a graduate teaching assistant, I hope that I have the opportunity to impact more students in a similar manner.
Outreach Member-at-Large
As a general member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), I engaged with the community and peers through multiple short-term and long-term volunteering and mentoring. After serving as a general member for three years, I ran for and was elected to the executive board at the end of my junior year.
I currently hold the position of Outreach Member-at-Large, where one of my primary responsibilities is overseeing the “Be PrEPared” subcommittee. In this role, I plan and run club meetings every other week and manage an executive board of 4 individuals who are invaluable to the success of these meetings and to our community outreach efforts. Our goal is to increase literacy and decrease stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, PrEP, and safe-sex practices, which we do by organizing and participating in community events and outreach, such as:
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free HIV/STI testing events on LSU's campus
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free HIV/STI testing events around Baton Rouge
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providing free condoms, lube, and information regarding community resources to Greek Life and Residential Life at LSU
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educating the campus community through informational materials and social media outreach
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educating BePrEPared members by conducting meetings with the inclusion of fun, cooperative, and instructional games such as "PrEPardy" (a "Jeopardy" game about HIV/AIDS, with an emphasis on health disparities regarding HIV/AIDS care), HIV/AIDS Kahoot, and "Diagnose the Patient's STI" (where we created and supplied patient intake charts to participants and had them determine the correct diagnosis).
Though I no longer intend to go into the medical field, the experiences that I have had and that skills that I have gained in this position have set me up to be a successful graduate student. I have served as a featured speaker at events commemorating "World AIDS Day" and the movement to end the HIV epidemic; speaking in front of large groups of physicians and community members about topics requiring accuracy and conscientiousness has enhanced my confidence in public speaking so that I am more efficiently able to share my research. Likewise, managing a team and facilitating healthy, judgement-free communication on a diverse campus and in the larger community has given me has enhanced my existing interpersonal skills necessary for working in a lab or as a Teaching Assistant.
Alpha Epsilon Delta
Pre-Medical Honors Society
