UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1014

Mentoring Philosophy My mentorship philosophy for working with undergraduate students is:

1) Collaboratively create an understanding of how we envision teamwork. I always start by discussing what works well for all parties to develop a compact. This is a roadmap of what kind of communication works well, what kinds of rules we want to set for ourselves, and how we will operate as a team. We will revisit the compact regularly through the course of the project.

2) Identify common interests and long-term goals. I always want to know a students’ interests and long-term goals so that a learning experience can be tailored to best fit these interests and goals.

3) Develop foundational understanding and skills in scientific research. My goal is to help UROP students develop an understanding of behavioral health research through an applied project. This will serve as a foundation for future endeavors.

4) Encourage independent-learning and intellectual curiosity. While I provide educational resources to my students, I also encourage students to learn independently, seek resources, and develop an intellectual curiosity that will serve them if they pursue graduate coursework.

5) Meet a student where they are at. I am a queer, first-generation college graduate and I understand how those identities and experiences impacted me as an undergraduate student. I strive to meet my students where they are at in regard to identity or experience with the understanding that we all come from different backgrounds which may impact the ways we experience academic endeavors including power structures within academia.