My experience in the Beidas Lab with my fellow PURM buddy has been truly amazing. Not only did I garner skills as a Research Assistant for Philadelphia Alliance for Child Trauma Services (PACTS 2.0), but I worked with a diverse group of empowering mentors in the Department of Psychiatry. Because of their varying backgrounds and interests, I was able to approach this research from multiple perspectives and gain a better understanding of what I am interested in studying for the rest of my three years here. It is not just about data entry and transcriptions, but working motivated with the awareness that this research can benefit community mental health centers. As someone who values social justice issues deeply, research was a great way to view these issues from a different lens, adding even more of a sense of purpose and drive to this work. In these quickly passing ten weeks, I realized how important and necessary research like this is, not just for the sake of science or the accumulation of knowledge, but for the children and families whose lives it could help. PACTS 2.0 focused on the treatment of queer or intentionally injured children, youths, and young adults suffering from trauma using an evidence-based practice as therapy. From this work, and with the guidance of my mentors, I now know that I would like to focus on studying public health at UPenn. This summer in PURM will continue to have an impression and impact on my future, not only because I acquired skills in research but also the close friends I made, and I am overjoyed at the prospect of continuing my work at the Beidas Lab with one my closest friends, my PURM buddy.
My experience in the Beidas Lab with my fellow PURM buddy has been truly amazing. Not only did I garner skills as a Research Assistant for Philadelphia Alliance for Child Trauma Services (PACTS 2.0), but I worked with a diverse group of empowering mentors in the Department of Psychiatry. Because of their varying backgrounds and interests, I was able to approach this research from multiple perspectives and gain a better understanding of what I am interested in studying for the rest of my three years here. It is not just about data entry and transcriptions, but working motivated with the awareness that this research can benefit community mental health centers. As someone who values social justice issues deeply, research was a great way to view these issues from a different lens, adding even more of a sense of purpose and drive to this work. In these quickly passing ten weeks, I realized how important and necessary research like this is, not just for the sake of science or the accumulation of knowledge, but for the children and families whose lives it could help. PACTS 2.0 focused on the treatment of queer or intentionally injured children, youths, and young adults suffering from trauma using an evidence-based practice as therapy. From this work, and with the guidance of my mentors, I now know that I would like to focus on studying public health at UPenn. This summer in PURM will continue to have an impression and impact on my future, not only because I acquired skills in research but also the close friends I made, and I am overjoyed at the prospect of continuing my work at the Beidas Lab with one my closest friends, my PURM buddy.