By Sam Goodykoontz
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work with a college professor? Then just ask Tempe Prep senior Clara Moffitt for her advice.
“I was interested in doing research in high school,” she said. “A couple of my friends had done research, and they recommended that I get involved with doing something with a professor, so I was interested in pursuing that. It looks good on college applications and it is also just a good experience.”
Clara saw this as valuable for her future.
“Since I am interested in pursuing research in college, I wanted to see what it is like,” she said. “I knew I was interested in doing research in maybe something related to women’s studies, because I am pretty involved with women’s issues. I originally was just looking around for some ASU professors on their website, and I was going to email them to see if they were looking for any research assistants.”
She was able to find help at Tempe Prep. “I was looking mainly for women’s literature, but then I reached out to Dr. Salcido to see if she had any friends at ASU pursuing research,” Clara said. “She sent some emails and she connected me to this professor, her name is Dr. Lisa Magaña. She works at the ASU School of Transborder Studies” and is involved with women’s issues there.
“I have been helping her with a book that she’s been writing and doing research for that,” Clara said. “The book is called Empoderados. It is a history of immigration from Latin America into the United States and how that has affected Arizona politics. It also gives a political science analysis on different laws that have come about because of immigration. It includes protests of those laws, organizations that have risen because of those laws, prospects for the 2020 election, and lots of other analytical data analysis on immigration and its effect on Arizona politics.”
If you are considering doing something like this, are you nervous because this experience is super new? Don’t worry, Clara was nervous too.
“It was totally new to me,” she said. “I didn’t really know what to do at all. I would get this email saying, ‘Why don’t you do this thing?’ and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh I don’t know how to do that.’”
She didn’t let that stand in her way. “It‘s definitely been a learning experience for me, and the professor I’m working with has totally been a mentor,” Clara said. “She’s been super helpful and definitely going to prepare me for doing research in the future. I had no idea what college is like, I had no idea what professors are like, I was scared that I wouldn’t be professional enough. However, I think it definitely worked out very well. I have become very close to this professor. So I have no real reason to be nervous anymore.”
Clara learned “to not be afraid to ask questions and to recognize that you’re a student, and you’re learning, and that’s OK. It’s OK to not know everything and it’s OK to want to learn.”
Clara didn’t wait for the opportunity to come to her.
“I learned that this is an experience that I wanted to have, so I went out and found it,” she said. “I didn’t wait for someone to approach me, it wasn’t a club that I could join. I looked for this professor, I reached out to my network, and I did it all on my own.”
But she’s also thankful for the help she received.
“I am so thankful for Dr. Salcido, who was willing to help me find this professor,” Clara said.
She’s excited about the results. “This is gonna be a super awesome experience to have my name published in a book, so I am really excited that I was able to take up this opportunity.”
Do you want to pursue something but you’re not sure if research assistance is for you? According to Clara, “I would totally recommend it for anyone that is interested in a particular field or has already been doing work in a subject and wants to have extra studies to complement the work they’ve been doing.”
The key is to take the initiative.
“My advice would be anyone that is passionate about something, looking forward to pursuing it in college, and getting hands-on lab experience, to definitely ask a professor if they need interns or assistants at all.”