2019/2020
Scholarship Recipients
Angel-Reine Pink
''As a transfer student at John Jay, I was worried that I would simply attend my classes and try to make it through my college experience at John Jay College under the radar. I am grateful that I didn’t let my shyness or my discouragement stop me from pursuing my aspirations. The OSRC scholarship opportunity allowed me to join my community and work harder at being a part of the change that I want to see in America when it comes to the black community.''
Ashley Dhillon
''I hope my research will help to find ways to reduce burnout in the clinician field. This is a really important area of research currently because of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. I aim to have significant impact on further research and, hopefully, apply the literature and research to the real world.''
Bianca Hayles
''From the OSRC team, to fellow scholars, to my mentor: I felt supported and uplifted throughout this long academic year, filled with so many challenges, roadblocks, pressure, and life changing decisions. I am extremely blessed for the trainings, comradery, and guidance I received in this endeavor providing me with the tools, courage, and confidence to work in research centered fields.''
Carissa Stump
''The Office for Student Research and Creativity helped me complete my capstone project and present my research at a conference. I appreciated the cohort meetings because I found it interesting to hear about the different research conducted across disciplines at John Jay. Many projects were on topics I had not heard of before but found very important when a member of my cohort addressed them.''
Danielle Gary
''The program helped me navigate the project in a way I could not have done without the added support. Having Bettina as a resource and sounding board served me well. The presentation training was also immensely helpful to me. As someone who aspires to consume and produce research for decades to come, sharpening my public speaking skills and improving my ability to defend my research is crucial. I am immensely proud that my research was accepted for presentation at the 2020 American Psychological Association Convention.''
Devon Kaat
''Over the past year, I have learned much more than I would have initially expected. While I had engaged in personal research in the past, I could not have progressed in the way I did without the ever-present support and experienced patient guidance that I received from my mentor, Professor Saul Kassin. I sincerely appreciate that I am presented with the opportunity to maintain my connection to this program, cohort, and my peers for a second year; though I trust in my personal pursuit of my research, I could not imagine a better environment for me to do so than the humbling, supportive, infinitely valuable program found at the OSRC. ''
Emilia Fittipaldi
''I never thought that I would have the opportunity to research a topic that I am extremely passionate about and hope to pursue in my career. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the OSRC managed to give the students in the 2019-2020 cohort the same opportunities as past cohorts. For example, the Research and Creativity Expo was published online so that our family and friends can see our projects. I would encourage any student that wishes to gain research experience during their undergraduate or graduate careers at John Jay to apply for this scholarship!''
Erika Diaz
''With the aid of the OSRC scholarship, I was able to experience for the first time what it is like to work on a research study that was entirely my own from start to finish. When the opportunity to conduct my own research, tackling the issues I found most interesting and important, presented itself to me in the form of the OSRC scholarship, I knew I had to take advantage of it. I am proud that despite my initial hesitations about committing to such an endeavor I decided to go through with it and have gained invaluable experience as a result. The initial findings of my study also suggest to me that I am on the right track and was correct in my belief that this is a field worth studying.''
Genevieve Biggers
''During the year of mentorship, I learned how to read primary and secondary sources, and gain clarity on the more microscopic topics of the work. For instance, having clarity on the day-to-day lives and practices of the ancient Greeks and Hebrews helped to narrow down the instances of persecution. My research could potentially dispel false notions of life in the ancient world, and even having better understanding of one of the oldest religions in the world. By having someone guide me through my research, it has helped keep my head above water. ''
Karim Adnane
''Being part of the OSRC Research/Creativity Scholarship cohort gave me a changing, positive perspective on academia and research. Being under the mentorship of Professor Holder has allowed me to become a better researcher, gave me experience that I won't forget and will be forever thankful for. It showed me the proper foundation of academic research and encouraged me to strive in academia. I will be forever thankful for the jumpstart that the OSRC scholarship and mentor relationship provided.''
Karla Galiano Herrera
''Through our cohort meetings and conversations, I appreciated that we all had different research topics as one of my research goals was to make sure that the information provided was understandable to groups of different sectors, not just those in public health. I was provided with great feedback when I did my initial presentation, and it made me rethink my methodology execution and how I could improve the research gathered. Unlike quantitative data, which can be interpreted through tables and numbers, qualitative work carries its meaning in its text. This means that I had to learn how to provide enough detail for a rich insight while also presenting my argument.''
Marien Morales
''As a student it is often easy to feel small and unheard while the OSRC scholarship made us each feel important and successful. It has been my honor to serve as an adviser for the cohort during my second year continued scholarship, understanding that having support from someone who has already been through the experience is very impactful. Since I decided to conduct research based on my long-term goal of opening up my own program, I was encouraged to share my passion with both faculty and students more confidently. As my first year mentor, Baz Dreisinger, taught me: There is no such thing as dreaming “too big”!''
Mikelina Fran
''For one academic year, I have worked closely with my faculty mentor, Professor Jean Carmalt, and I have discovered my passion to become a researcher in the field of domestic violence. Now, I am sure I want to go for a PhD in Sociology to study and work closely with immigrant women who have experienced domestic violence. Thanks to this scholarship opportunity and professor Carmalt, I was able to discover my true passion in my academic career.''
Sharon Bayantemur
''The scholarship community provided a safe space in which we were able to practice presenting our work and discussing our research with like-minded individuals, all the while fine tuning how we disseminate information to both those within and knowledgeable of our respective fields and those that were not. I found that this greatly increased my understanding of the research, but also made me conscious about how I can get wrapped up using psychology jargon when talking about my research and learning to step away from that. To me, the presentation trainings were the most helpful, especially watching the videos at a later date and discussing what we need to improve on and what we are doing well.''
Vicky Qiu
''I am grateful for this opportunity, which allowed me to gain real life experiences for my future career. I find that recording my presentation and going over it with Bettina was especially helpful since we are not used to watching ourselves present. I was able to see all the flaws in my performance and the critique from my peers were very helpful to improve my presenting skills. The cohort meeting also gave us the opportunity to enjoy our peers’ research. I highly recommend this scholarship to students who seek to conduct or assist with a research study.''