Reflections from Isabel Agolini

My interest in mental health led me to Professor Hong’s “Coping with COVID-19” research project where I became one member of the survey data team.

As a social scientist accustomed to working with qualitative data, I felt slightly daunted by the prospect of cleaning and analyzing quantitative survey data.

Despite my hesitations, it was an extremely rewarding experience collaborating with my peers on the survey data. Together, we created a codebook, user manual, as well as a preliminary analysis of how socioeconomic status impacts social connections and coping mechanisms during the pandemic. Not only did my work with the survey data teach me new quantitative skills, I also learned how to best communicate the data in such a way that those with no previous quantitative background found the information easily digestible and accessible.

 In addition to these research-related skills, I also gained a great appreciation of community. Prior to this project, I knew none of the team members. My interactions with them over Zoom gave me hope that we can (and should) continue to foster meaningful connections online.

 I would encourage any students interested in pursuing research to do so; not only will you gain academic skills, being a research assistant is a great opportunity to form a community, even if the community is established online.