Communication studies major discovers new career interests

Through her APEX Fellowship at the United Planning Organization, Hannah Nguyen ’22 was able to combine her interests in education policy and communication studies. She discovered the opportunity through a College of Wooster alumni and the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP) organization. In her position, she conducted research on racial inequalities in access to early education services and helped the organization with their strategizing.

“It was so interesting seeing the difference between research as a student versus research demanded by an organization.” 

—Hannah Nguyen

What interests you most about the work you did? What were some of the things you did each day? 

“I did a lot of reading, looked up articles and policy briefs, and emailed people back and forth to set up interview times. I was able to experiment with different research methods, and it was so interesting seeing the difference between research as a student versus research demanded by an organization.”

Who was your Fellowship mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position? 

“Professor Brooke Krause [assistant professor of economics and global & international studies] was my mentor, and she created a reflective space for me every week to critically think about my experience and what I learned. She also offered comments and follow-up questions from my reflections to push my thinking forward.”

How has the internship helped you to see what’s next for you? 

“I do see myself in research roles in the future. Though I am not entirely certain I would pursue this field, the internship helps me see that it is a possible choice. I would also add that because my APEX Fellowship was through the SHECP program, it helped me learn about social justice and poverty, both academically and experientially.”

Posted in Experiential Learning on November 5, 2021.