The purpose of the College Experiences Study is to get a better understanding of how a complex array of risk and protective factors work together to influence the onset of and course of alcohol and other substance use disorders in the transition into and out of college. It also evaluates predictors of other pressing health concerns, such as depression, as well as what leads to the co-occurrence of such problems. I was able to serve as an undergraduate research assistant for a year.

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My responsibilities as an undergraduate research assistant included contacting over 100 participants through calling, mailing, and emailing to encourage them to participate. I also created personalized personality feedback forms for each individual participant of the survey and also completed all payment forms and paperwork. Furthermore, I was a part of every lab meeting where I aided in facilitating discussion as well as analyzing and presenting other research on adolescent substance use.

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My time in the College Experiences Study was one of my favorite and most influential experiences of my college career. I learned that I am capable of completing many tasks at once. I strengthened my organization skills and learned the importance of being persistent. I also strengthened my communication skills through cold calling participants. These skills will be beneficial to me, not only in graduate school but as a school counselor too. Furthermore, I strengthened my ability to synthesize and comprehend research. This ability will aid me as I continue my learning through the reading of current research in order to utilize the most up-to-date evidence based practices with my students.