Continuing this blog series on great Trinity student achievements, I was so pleased to receive this message from senior Psychology Major Jessica Lopez ’16 about her summer research experience at Western Kentucky University:

“Over the summer, I was fortunate to be one of eight students , from all over the country, to attend Western Kentucky University for a Research Experience for Undergraduates in Psychology. It is a program that is fully funded by the National Science Foundation. During my time there, I worked closely with Dr. Aaron L. Wichman, a social psychologist whose research focuses on how people respond to uncertainty and psychological threats. The project I worked on focused on expanding our knowledge on how people respond to reminders of death and the emotional changes that occur when experiencing existential threats. Together, we designed and developed the study. I was given the opportunity to develop a new research tool, collect data, and analyze data.

“At the end of this ten week program, I presented my research at an REU Conference held at WKU. Currently, I am working on submitting my paper for publication. In January 2016, I will be presenting a poster on my research at the 17th Annual Society of Personality and Social Psychology Convention in San Diego, CA. In addition to gaining hands on experience conducting research, I was able to network with faculty members in various fields of psychology. We attended several brown bag presentations that gave me a greater perspective on current psychological research.

“As I prepare to apply for graduate school, I feel much more prepared with everything that I have been exposed to as a result of my summer experience at WKU.”

Jessica subsequently wrote,

“I had a wonderful time! I made great friends, learned in abundance, and made incredible connections.”

Don’t you just love that phrase, “learned in abundance” — this is truly the essence of a great Trinity education!  Thanks to Jessica for sharing her story, and thanks to the great faculty in the Psychology program for inspiring Jessica and so many other students to realize their goals?

Have a story about your summer work or internship?  Send to president@trinitydc.edu with photos and I will feature the best on this blog.