Sandra Natalie Gomez
Cornell College, psychology
GSEF Fellow, Cohort 1
Research Placement: Michigan State University
“The friendships and memories I made this summer are irreplaceable. I now have colleagues and best friends across the country and the world.”
How would you describe yourself in a few sentences?
I am a student who is passionate about running, social justice, and food. I am a first-generation Mexican American who is the oldest of four. I love motivational movies and Spanish music.
What kind of research are you working on this summer? Who are you working with?
This summer I was working in the Community-AID laboratory at Michigan State University. It was in the community psychology department. I collaborated with the implementation and analysis of the evaluation of student support services in a predominately African-American school district. I also worked with the design, implementation, and analysis of a study examining the effects of participatory research approaches with youth. This was all possible under the mentorship of Dr. Ignacio Acevedo-Polakovich and a graduate student, Sara T. Stacy.
What have you learned so far?
The most important thing I learned was how capable I am. I now know that graduate school is something I very much want. I learned a lot from every person I met. Each week my program had us perform SROP talks where we had to present in what stage our research was, allowing me to learn about a different fields of research.
What part(s) of this experience will benefit you most? How so?
The friendships and memories I made this summer are irreplaceable. I now have colleagues and best friends across the country and the world. I am excited to see what they accomplish in the near future and how our paths will cross. The friends I made provided me with the support and encouragement I needed when the stress was high. I will never forget my summer in Michigan.
What do you want your faculty mentor and/or university to remember about you?
I would like my faculty mentor to remember me as someone who is passionate about the work I did and the future work I will do. I hope he remembers me as a valuable part of their team because they were very valuable to my summer and to my future.
