Being a research assistant as strengthened my presentation skills, my ability to comprehend convoluted articles, and most of all, my ability to write. Academic writing and the ability to work through research articles has been immensely helpful for me my senior year. My research experience allowed me to cut down the time spent on pulling relevant articles and provided more time to brainstorm topic ideas or revise my work. This proved to be invaluable when faced with the tas

Despite having to come to campus at 7:00 a.m., or having to stay after a long and grueling day of classes until 6:00 p.m., I missed the steady presence of research in my life. College course have an uncanny way of being inconsistent, from scheduling deadlines all within a two-week period to a drought of assignments until the next exam arrives. I loved my research work because it was consistent and always brought a steady sense of progress as the team and I accomplished proje

Becoming a Diverse Student Scholar has given me the opportunity to travel to different states to present at business and marketing conferences. In those travels I get to meet new people and revisit with those that have returned for another year. My first conference took me to Santa Fe New Mexico. It was also my first conference presentation. I may have been noticeably nervous (public speaking has never been my strong suit), especially in front of a group of people I am encoun

It was an early Monday morning September 3rd, 2018, as I was walking to class, I noticed a tall, beautiful, African American women walking a head of me that I had never seen before, (she didn’t look like a student). She began to get away from me, so I picked up my pace and yelled out, “Excuse me!” When she turned around, I introduced myself. In that conversation I found out that this soft-spoken woman was Dr. Jeanetta Sims, a marketing professor in the college of business and

Going into my freshman year, I knew I wanted a job. I was imagining applying at a restaurant or in retail, but my sister offered me position I didn’t think I would ever consider. My sister graduated in Spring of 2017 and during her junior and senior year, she was a Diverse Student Scholar. I would often hear stories about her presentations and research, always felt like I would never be able to do that. I was skeptical to say nonetheless when she asked “Do you want to do rese

[Diverse Student Scholars Spring 2017 Graduates at the UCO STLR Cording Ceremony on May 5, 2017. From L to R: Dr. Sims, Cindy Vo, Anna Henson, Brittany Rudolph, Ashley Neese, and Treyce Glidden] Each June, I’m reminded of the value that undergraduate research engagement brings to unsuspecting students. Once timid and uncertain at the start of their Diverse Student Scholars experience, research assistants have transformed into award-winning and confident graduates by May comme