2020/2021
Scholarship Recipients
Adam Ramirez
"Under the mentorship of Professor Pittman, I learned and grew so much in multiple aspects of my life. Oftentimes I would stray away from my initial starting point and end up writing about something completely different. In addition to this, I had difficulty reading and analyzing philosophical texts in-depth- anything beyond surface-level ideas seemed difficult to grasp. Still, Professor Pittman did not waiver in his support. He encouraged me to embrace my flaws regardless of how I felt and instilled confidence in me when I had none."
Aliya Birnbaum
"The most beneficial part of the OSRC scholarship experience were my one-on-one meetings with Bettina Muenster. She was always available for me to practice my presentations with, and I genuinely felt that her only goal was improving us professionally and personally. I will miss my meetings with Bettina, she was supportive, consciences, and knowledgeable. She taught me how to structure my writing to be more reader-friendly, and she even checked in on me emotionally when she could see I was feeling overwhelmed. She was an essential part of my success in the program, and I cannot thank her enough for her unrelenting compassion and positivity."
Anna Yuan Dai
"I would not have been able to go through the whole process without BM and the cohort community. Knowing that we are all here to learn and support each other encouraged me greatly throughout the year. Individual meetings with BM were particularly helpful and encouraging. Each meeting, BM helped me keep track of my research process; one step at a time. This enhanced my thought process organization and time management skills, and so I was able to deliver the adequate results and presentation on time."
Devon Kaat
"I feel that this year in the OSRC scholarship program has forced growth in my understanding of the core issues that my research is concerned with. The many presentations, journal entries, and peer critiques always gave me chances to look at my own plans with a critical eye. Through the several presentations our cohort did (albeit remotely), I was able to begin identifying specifics when it comes to holes and oversights in my plan for data collection and analysis- this was incredibly helpful when it came time to provide the IRB with very clear objectives, policies, and goals that will be directing my research. With approval at hand, and several administrators in the loop, this summer will be an excellent time to finish as a junior in what I started years ago as a freshman. OSRC played a small role in making it happen."
Eujene Chung
"There are several accomplishments that I am particularly proud of regarding the OSRC scholarship and my research. The experience affirmed for me that I made the right choice by attending an MA program after undergrad. It prepared me for my Ph.D. program in a way that my undergraduate experience did not. My research ability grew exponentially through my thesis, OSRC, and research labs I participated in throughout my program. I am so much more equipped to begin doctoral training and conduct independent research for my dissertation, whatever it may be about. OSRC facilitated a lot of opportunities and growth that I could not have had otherwise, and for that I will always be grateful and remember the Office and Bettina fondly."
Fareeha Huda
"It was due to my mentor David M Shapiro, coordinator of the Fraud Examination and Financial Forensic Program, and Bettina Muenster, assistant director for the Office, that I could navigate through the research process. The mentorship of my faculty broadened my knowledge in my field of Financial Forensics and expanded my post-graduation plans. As I struggled to grasp the concept initially, I ended the year confident in what I have learned and aspire to continue research work in the future."
Fiona Wang
"I am particularly proud of my last poster presentation at the OSRC conference. As an introvert whose mother tongue is not English, I have never excelled at public speaking. In fact, when I watched a recording of my first presentation with Bettina, I was stunned by my performance. Although I had positive feelings regarding my performance at the time of the presentation, I caught many cringy mistakes that could have been improved. Things I would have been oblivious of had I not watched the recording. Thus, I came to the last presentation with the explicit mindset of improving my performance and correcting the errors I made. I have not viewed a recording of this last presentation, but I came away feeling satisfied and proud."
Genevieve Biggers
"A benefit I had with my mentor was having that second pair of eyes look over my work. I do not always catch what is wrong in the research or conclusions I make. It was beneficial to have pointed out when I was generalizing or making conclusive statements when I should not have. I am proud that I have the research more or less done. Now it is just a matter of sprucing up the work and looking for a publisher."
Giselle Piedra
"Being a part of a mentorship with Dr. Delgado has benefited me greatly in my final semesters at John Jay; by helping me analyze scientific research papers, developing skills in molecular programming, preparing myself to present my work and helping me write my own literature review paper. . This experience has helped me learn to think like a scientist and gave me a glimpse into the work that is involved in the research process. I learned that research is not just conducting experiments in the lab but also building a foundation from previous studies and forming new hypotheses to test."
Josephine Kehm
"It is also important to have an established relationship with other researchers who are able to share wisdom and give feedback on presentations. Watching my colleagues present their own research helped me to develop the framework to find my own voice within this field. I found myself taking notes on different presenters’ mannerism, visual aids, speech etc., that I liked and hoped to incorporate into my own presentations. Bettina was also a great resource and helped guide my research when I felt I had reached an impasse. Overall I have learned through this experience that having a support network is crucial. Conducting this research and being a part of this cohort was a formative experience."
Kimberly Jaramillo
"The last year has been a journey in learning about myself and what I would like to do in the near future. The OSRC program has allowed me to realize that doing research is something I would like to continue to do. The OSRC program did great in working with the students even though everything was online. I am honored and grateful the OSRC program allowed me to conduct my research and is allowing me to continue my research for the coming year. This program has allowed me to create relationships with individuals who have assisted me throughout this research and when planning my future career goals. As a second-year recipient and peer mentor, I hope to create a bond and aid the new recipients in anything they need. I am excited about what the OSRC research program will be like for the 2021-2022 year."
Maria Plata
"When I first started my mentorship with Professor Perez, I thought I would not be able to articulate my ideas outside of our mentorship. Now not only do I engage with my professors outside of classroom settings, but I always incorporate the texts I have read throughout the two semesters of research, to my classes and even in a day-to-day conversation with friends and family. Participating in this program helped to push me to introduce myself to research that is conducted in the field of English. This helped to solidify my decision to attend graduate school, after getting a glimpse at what the process of research in a master’s program in Literature or even a PhD program would be."
Mikelina Gjergj
Mikelina is a graduate student majoring in Public Administration/Policy. Her research places Albanian immigrant women who have experienced or experience intimate partner violence at the center of her study. Mikelina plans to conduct a qualitative study with in-depth interviews of survivors of intimate partner violence.
Miriam Lieber
"Working closely with Dr. Margaret Bull Kovera and Melanie Fessinger has been a great learning experience. So much so, that I am thrilled to be joining John Jay’s Psychology and Law Ph.D. program this upcoming Fall with Dr. Kovera as my faculty mentor. I strongly believe that this research project was the gateway into many future projects with Dr. Kovera. The OSRC scholarship and the resources associated with membership in the program have been integral to the progress of my research project. Check-in meetings with Bettina kept me on track throughout the year, and I found it helpful to discuss my project with someone other than my mentor."
Nusrat S. Dewan
"The mentorship from a faculty member has benefitted me in different ways, as I gained much experience on how the research process works. I made accomplishments as a researcher by gaining skills and improving them. For example, I improved my presentation and public speaking skills. When I gave presentations, I was nervous even through I took notes of what I was going to present. I learned that I improved on giving presentations by practicing beforehand. The OSRC research experience has definitely prepared me for research at the graduate level."
Rose Wong
"As I write this final essay for my OSRC experience, I reflect upon the journey taken and think about the next phase of my life. The journey has been tremendous, far exceeding what I thought I would learn, and it isn’t even over yet. The OSRC infrastructure of professor mentorship and peer idea exchange/support has greatly increased my likelihood of success. OSRC offers a safe environment to ask questions, explore ideas, and learn to deliver a real and substantive project within a given timeline and budget. Following my participation in the OSRC scholarship program, I now have both the experience and confidence to land that “first awesome job out of college” because I have something that employers are willing to pay for."
Tirza Ben-Ari
"The research / creativity scholarship program has been an important and invaluable component of my year. I have learned how to conduct a research project from beginning (actually, multiple beginnings) to end. While I am not inexperienced with research, I have never before had the opportunity to be in charge of all stages of a single project, and am very grateful that I had the chance to do so. While my connection with my mentor was not the always ideal, due to how busy he was throughout this year, I truly appreciate his being able to work with me, and to embrace my new project idea. Dr. Kassin is a tremendous, professional, and passionate researcher, and I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him. The one-on-one meetings were extremely helpful as I arrived to each of them with a long list of questions and left with an answer for each, even the hard and vague ones. I greatly appreciated Bettina’s mentorship in this program, as she was very instructive, patient, and supportive throughout the whole year. I cannot think of other suggestions, as I thought the program was really wonderful, and easily one of the most valuable experiences of my degree. Thank you with all of my heart for this opportunity, Bettina, and I hope to keep in touch and to work with you again in the future!"