Sigalle Bahary
Summer Research Intern, Plant Five for Life
Major: PSYC & CCJS
Minor: Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM)
Class Year: 2022
What was a typical week like in your internship position?
I helped set up the Green Heart Project, which will aim to find a causative relationship between greenery exposure and health outcomes. My typical week included compiling a comprehensive literature review, considering potential predictor and outcome variables, and determining which neighborhoods would be best suited for focus groups. I also had the opportunity to attend and take notes at a stakeholder meeting, which led to project buy-in from about 10 professionals.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
I enjoyed working with a small group of people who were open to hearing my suggestions and input for their project idea. My opinions were valued and I feel that my background in research made me a real asset to the project.
How did your coursework help you in your internship?
The skills I gained through my research methods courses (both PSYC 300 and CCJS 300) helped me tremendously throughout all aspects of my internship. The ability to analyze large CSV files using JASP was especially useful when I was deciding which variables to include in our analysis.
How did you locate your internship position?
I went to a virtual volunteer fair and met the director of the organization in a breakout room. We spoke again after the fair and she told me she was also looking for a summer intern.
Advice for students:
A suggestion I would give to anyone looking for an internship is to find unconventional ways to search and to use your network (or create one!). Everyone is looking at Indeed, LinkedIn, and the like. These sites can be a good place to start, but sending your resume out cold probably won’t get you the internship.
Anything else you want to share with students about your experience?
Doing an internship is one way to see a potential career first-hand. During your internship, make sure to regularly check in with yourself about if you are enjoying the work and if you could see yourself doing this work as your career. Whatever the answer is, it will give your job search some direction!
