Interview

In an attempt to better understand the dynamics that led to the quality research papers included in this journal, Stephen Gracia and Robert Cherry interviewed a number of contributing students.  Some of these students had little expectation of doing research when they entered Brooklyn College but now are pursuing research careers:

Miguel Almazar:  When I entered Brooklyn College, my career goal was to be a high school mathematics teacher.  My professors guided me through independent work that would prepare me for graduate work and directed me to the American Economics Association Summer Minority program where I was engaged in advanced course work and research. This mentoring and encouragement has transformed my career aspirations, which a generous fellowship to the Ph.D. program in economics at University of Maryland will allow me to pursue.

Tara Mulqueen:  After high school, I wanted to see the world and did some traveling, including to Tanzania.  I selected Brooklyn College for its low-cost, academic reputation, and my desire to live in New York City.  I had little academic direction initially but became attracted to political science after a freshmen-year course.  Through faculty encouragement, I began to see a link between my academic work and my interest in African economic development.  Through the Furman Travel Award, I was able to revisit Tanzania but this time with a more academic-research focus.  My mentor then helped me develop a research project that I will be presenting this November at the national African Studies conference and my career goes are now to study human geography with a goal of a Ph.D. that would enable me to pursue my goal of furthering economic advancement in the developing world.

For students who had strong academic interests when entering Brooklyn College, these research activities strengthened and concretized more clearly their career aspirations:

Aaron Gavin: I want to pursue a PhD in political theory. I will be using this paper as my writing sample when applying to graduate school. There are also some specific aspects of the paper’s content which connects to my future academic goals. I am very much interested in Human Rights Theory. Within the paper, I analyzed some of the conservative and Foucauldian critiques of Human Rights.

Sameen Farooq: This research is truly important as it tries to capture the changes that accompanied the AIDS crisis in the U.S. Going forward I hope to continue work on expanding the project as my senior thesis. I will be focusing on the role of AIDS advocacy organizations in a larger sense and their role in reshaping the public health infrastructure. I will definitely be focusing on New York, as it is the most feasible mode of analysis given my personal and co-curricular activities. Thus, I hope to uncover how these organizations were able to impact the insurance, pharmaceutical and medical industries. I truly see myself being a political advocate and a physician in the future. The project showed me how morality and social norms overpowered the medical implications of the disease and in doing so made a cohesive response ineffectual. Thus, going forward I hope to be involved with my clinical work and fully advocate on behalf of my patients and community so to ensure health equity, and equal access to affordable and quality healthcare.

While the research activities transformed career aspirations for some students, what held for virtually all was the encouragement and guidance they obtained from faculty members, particularly those who advised and mentor their work:
 
Judy Cummins: My faculty advisor offered guidance and provided helpful comments when necessary. He was supportive and encouraging during the process of completing the research paper.  My findings have enabled me to think more critically about the role of human resource manager, my career aspiration. I was truly inspired by my mentor’s suggestion that the project was worthy of presentation should an opportunity arise.

Britt Srour: My faculty advisor led me on my research path. She encouraged me to undertake a research project and was there to help me every step of the way. She was there to guide me from the start, helping me to pick my topic, find research, and write my paper. I am very thankful for all her help and support.

Sameen Farooq:  My faculty mentor was amazing through out the process. She took time out to meet with me and discuss the project. When I faced a slew of family tragedies, my mentor was not only supportive but she encouraged me to go forward and was always willing to modulate the deadlines. She also enthusiastically supported my desire to present my work at a national and regional conference: NCUR (National Conference on Undergraduate Research) and NRHC (Northeast Regional Honors Council).

Naomi Dobrowolski: I anticipated doing research, but not as early in my college career as it came. I had at least one research paper assigned every semester since fall of my freshman year so that it would be most accurate to attribute the initial impetus for my research projects to my professors. Many of my professors in the history department were particularly helpful. My advisor consistently but not overbearingly guided my project. He encouraged me to balance my ambitious goals with practicality which enabled me to complete a most satisfying research project. 

Dan Wever:  Only after I took a junior course did I begin to think about doing a research project.   My instructor knew my interest in public rights and helped me form a question that integrated a political discourse of public space with art. He became my mentor and helped me form my research question.  In addition, the senior research class in the Honors Academy more forward, setting and meeting deadlines, and helping with rewrites that improved the final product.

Alexandra Petraru:  My mentor didn't want us to just learn about language development through lecture and readings.  For my research paper, she believed that the best way to understand how a child travels through the different phases of language acquisition was by observing a "real" child.  My mentor was also supportive, allowing for individual data interpretation as opposed to black and white answers.

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