Educational Administration Pre-Grad Intern Chance Lee Vaughan
"On March 7 through March 12, I attended and presented research at the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education conference in Costa Mesa California. It was such a privilege to be a part of the project MALES presentation and to work closely with my IE mentor Charles Lu. Even though I was the only undergrad on the project, I was chosen to present at the conference and it has given me an experience that would have been impossible without the IE pre-grad internship. I consider myself lucky to have been a part of the project MALES team and to have the opportunity to present at the conference.
It was such an enlightening experience and I learned so much from being there. I learned things from the difference in qualitative and quantitative research methods, the stress associated with grad school, citing for dissertations, how to interact in a professional sphere and a lot about the daily lives of PhD students. Not only did I get to spend time and get to know my mentor Charles Lu but I also spent time with other members of the team and got their insight into grad school and ideas of pursuing careers. Throughout the five days I came to a better understanding of what it means to pursue a doctoral degree as well as how to go about it. With this knowledge of grad school, I feel like I am in a better position and have more information about making a decision to pursue or not pursue a graduate degree."