Name: Morgan Holmen
Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Major: Speech Language Pathology in the College of Education and Human Sciences
Graduation Date: May 2016
CYFS Affiliation: Undergraduate research assistant
What is your role as a CYFS undergraduate research assistant?
I’m working on the Getting Ready project, which focuses on the relationships children have with adults as well as partnerships between parents and other providers. Specifically within that, I’m helping with home-visit coding and child-assessment checking.
I also worked with Halle Miller, CYFS undergraduate research assistant, to conduct research relating to parental involvement with preschool children. I think this project was one of the most important and memorable for me, because I experienced a research project from start to finish. Halle and I discussed the data and came up with our own conclusions about why certain values were significant.
How does your CYFS research role align with future career goals?
I will start my graduate degree program in speech language pathology at UNL this fall, and my experience at CYFS will definitely help with writing research papers. I plan to continue my involvement with research in the future, and I may consider pursuing a doctoral degree some day. My CYFS experience makes those opportunities seem a lot more reachable.
What advice would you give other college students about getting involved with research?
I would recommend it 150 percent. If you are planning to continue your education after your undergraduate degree, research is a must.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
I used to be a gymnast, so I like to watch UNL gymnastics and the Olympics on TV. I recently got into running and have been doing a lot of races. I recently ran a 10 mile race in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was a great experience to prove to myself that I could do it. One of my life goals is to stay fit no matter how busy life gets.