Hi all! My name is Kylie, and I am one of Hailley’s two new Undergraduate Research Assistants. My fellow research assistant, Ashley, and I will be working on Phase 2 of Mapping the Student Engagement Journey with Hailley this year. I am a junior this year at University Park, majoring in International Relations and Spanish. I am excited to work with Hailley on the second phase of this project and learn about the research process!

My Penn State Engagement

My engagement journey has been quite the ride. Through a few changes in my field of study, as well as a pandemic, my experience at Penn State has been shaped by various engagement opportunities. I entered Penn State as a pre-medicine student and joined a pre-medicine club. In a few months, I had changed my major to undecided and had virtually no engagement opportunities. Sophomore year I jumped into a few major, and joined College Democrats, a THON committee, and worked with the PSU Commons Desk Operations. Although I was unable to study abroad at the end of my sophomore year, I found engagement in a few (virtual) opportunities. In my Junior year, I applied for this position, and I am excited to get started!

The Future

As I start my engagement journey as a research assistant for the first time, I’m most looking forward to applying my own experiences as a Penn State student as well as meeting new students and understanding their unique perspectives about student engagement. I am excited to learn new tactical research skills and work with Hailley and Ashley to discover new ways to enhance student engagement at Penn State. Happy Valley is a great place to be, so I can’t wait to get to work on this project to find ways to help new students feel at home.