Reflections from Adelle Durrell

 From taking Professor Hong’s Research Designs course during the spring quarter to being a part of her summer team for the Coping with COVID-19 project, this research has been an extremely enriching experience. It was so interesting to not only be a part of data collection through survey recruitment and conducting my own interview but to also have the chance to further analyze and be able to witness the data grow into something meaningful with a lasting impact; inspiring deeper research on an episode as impactful as the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a wonderful and exciting opportunity to read through so many interview transcripts and be able to understand the ways of coping and connecting as well as feelings of disconnection, stressful situations, and fatigue from so many new perspectives.

Though working with qualitative data has been a new experience for me, a quite challenging one at times, I have seen valuable growth in my skills and have learned a great deal. I have discovered firsthand how messy research can be, the joys of sitting with the data as new ideas and directions develop, and of course learning to keep an open mind. I have had the opportunity to improve my skills in organizing information and to acquire new ones for developing a qualitative codebook, as well as looking into literature and writing up the results.

 Working with such an incredible team of people has truly made this such a valuable and memorable opportunity. All of the effort, fresh perspectives, and collaboration have helped establish a database that will lead to impactful work and developments.