14
Dec
2021
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Undergraduate Researcher
I am majoring in Biomedical Sciences with a
Pre-Physician Assistant concentration and a minor in
Human Development and Family Science (HDFS). My goal
is to become a physician assistant and specialize in
women’s health. You may be asking yourself, “Why is
a future physician assistant interested in minoring
in HDFS?” I chose Biomedical Sciences because I
wanted to learn the medical explanations for why the
body works the way it does. However, I also wanted
to know about human growth and development, so HDFS
is where I landed with my minor. It’s taught me that
I enjoy learning about people as well as assessing
and understanding the research on different topics
that affect society. This interest led me to an
undergraduate research position with Military REACH.
I learned about Military REACH in a
sophomore-year HDFS class with Dr. Lucier-Greer.
At the time, I had no particular interest in
research, but Dr. Lucier-Greer mentioned she was
looking for students to help with her project.
Fast-forward to spring of my junior year: I
wanted to get involved with HDFS research but
wasn’t sure about what type – or even how. When
I received an email about Military REACH’s
search for undergraduate research assistants, I
thought to myself, “This couldn’t be more
perfect!” I got to interview in person for the
position, which left me feeling excited and
hopeful at the prospect of joining the team.
After joining, I am so thankful to have been
given this opportunity!
What stands out to me the most about Military
REACH is its purpose. I love that our work makes
a difference in many people’s lives. I got
exactly what I wanted, which was to be a part of
something that would allow me to enrich the
lives of others. Being a member of Military
REACH also means I can learn from a diverse
group of knowledgeable, experienced people, all
of whom help me become more well-rounded.
During my time as REACH’s undergraduate research
assistant, I’ve developed an immense
appreciation for the time and work it takes to
ensure our projects are of the highest quality.
Since joining REACH, I have:
- Written summary documents for research articles in our online library;
- Written social media posts highlighting current research on the well-being of military families;
- Co-authored a Family Focus article on couples in the pre-deployment phase;
- And learned so much about military families and the military in general that I now feel profound gratitude for all our service members do!