Leadership

Research has been a huge passion of mine while I've been a student, but unfortunately, many students are unable to take advantage of research opportunities while on college campuses. The project I've designed aims to solve this problem through the installation of a peer mentorship program.

The Problem...

According to the department of education, a lack of collegiate opportunities is directly correlated to a lack of social mobility (document linked here). Research on college campuses is an opportunity that can allow students to network within their field and open up the career market for them after university while simultaneously earning money through potential grant funding. While this opportunity is advertised to a wide array of students, it is often an opportunity that lacks diversity. Through working in the Office of Undergraduate Research at USC, I have noticed that students outside the STEM fields, students of color, and students who are apart of the LGBTQ community have been less active in the undergraduate research community. With this in mind, I've devised a plan to bring diversity in undergraduate research to the forefront.

The Solution:

In 3 Easy Steps

Creation of Mentor Groups

Students who have already obtained a grant from the office of undergraduate research will be asked to be mentors to other undergraduate students who are new to the research process.

Monthly 'Town Hall' Sessions

Members of Mentor Groups will be invited to a town hall-like seminar each month. Each of these seminars will be led by faculty at the University and will go into special detail on how to find research opportunities as well as the benefits of getting involved in research.

OMSA led Support Groups

Additionally, the office of Undergraduate Research will implement bi-semester-long meetings in collaboration with the Office of Multicultural Student Advisement (OMSA) to discuss the importance of diversity within a professional setting and the importance of speaking out against any sort of professional discrimination.

Implementation

Through the usage of these three cyclical steps, students from diverse backgrounds can fully be affirmed in their decision to participate in Undergraduate Research.

First and for most, having a close peer mentor group to rely on (comprised of reliable vouched-for students by the Office of Researcher) allows students who have previously felt afraid to speak up about their struggles with finding a research position to feel more comfortable doing so in a more intimate tight-knit setting.

Having designated monthly town hall sessions led by current faculty at the University allows students, who previously may not get the opportunity, to hear firsthand about the diverse research projects available on campus straight from the source. Further, by having professors 'the professionals of research', teach students how to get involved, a morose middleman is cut and students and are able to get a straightforward view on how they can start their research journeys today.

Last but not least, the implementation of bi-semester OMSA led diversity sessions for all peer mentor groups allows for students to express any grievances they have with the research process as a whole confidentially and to professionals. It also affirms to students that their diverse perspectives will always be valued and protected by the University!

The use of this cycle will allow for students who believe they cannot participate in research due to being a part of a certain major, minority group, or social class to realize that the opportunity to succeed within the research field is always available to them.

Future Directions and Significance

With the implementation of this three-step cyclical program, the office of research at any university (but in this case study USC), can assure that they are giving affirming, positive advice to students from ALL walks of life. In the future, I hope to see this project expand to include previously recorded town-hall meetings and Support group sessions for students to access for ages to come.