Mentoring and Advising

Mentoring Undergraduate Research

I have two goals for mentoring undergraduate research. First, I provide opportunities for students to assist my research projects to give them hands-on research experience. Because my research populations are usually current college students, undergraduate students are excited to analyze patterns and contribute their own insights to research design and analysis. Over a dozen undergraduates students have served as research assistants in the past, sometimes earning independent study credit. They have assisted with instrument design, conducting interviews, open coding, and systematic coding, among other tasks.

Second, I oversee and guide projects initiated by undergraduate students. Sometimes these projects are initiated by ambitious students in my courses who want to analyze data for their term paper. Other times the projects are independent study, senior thesis, or other research outside of class. I have assisted with project design, small grant applications, IRB applications, instrument creation, data analysis, writing, and editng. One student was able to publish the findings of her project for which I was the faculty advisor in an undergraduate journal, UNC JOURney.

Advising Undergraduate Students

2020-present Academic Advisor

As a faculty member in the SLU sociology department, I am now the academic advisor for select sociology majors. My goals are to help students make degree progress, fulfill their academic goals, and brainstorm future aspirations. When possible, I work to connect students to appropriate resources to help them further their future aspirations.

2016-2020 Assistant Director of Social and Economic Justice Minor

As the assistant director of this interdisciplinary minor, I have experience advising hundreds of students on their course selection, minor decisions, and post-graduation aspirations. I work with students to understand their goals and figure out the best academic path to achieve those goals.

2019-2020 Pre-Graduate School Advisor

As a pre-graduate school advisor, I have been trained to advise students from a wide variety of disciplines about graduate school aspirations, admissions, and resources.