Wall of love for Sienna and Slate

I had never kept a research journal before this. But now I can’t imagine not having one. That said, I realized today that I annotated (quite literally) course readings a la a journal. I love books/reading, but I’ve felt it was sacrilege to write in their margins.

Reflection journaling while in the midst of my dissertation actually makes sense. I had not considered it before especially as I am reading literature and how it makes me feel particularly from the experiences I have had.

Thank you for a great sessions. I have learned so much but I see where I have so much more to learn and to write! I will keep going with the research journal. It really helps! I really appreciated you checking in as often as you did and being as available as you were. You helped make this seem doable when we all felt like we were drowning! :)

I really enjoyed working with Dr. McClish, as she provided space and an opportunity to get creative with my ideas and notes and use visuals from other sources to help get my thinking in order.

I love the idea of creating a Reflective Research Journal to make notes and reflect on my educational experiences. It’s a place to “chart how your ideas, subjectivities, thoughts, and perceptions change and evolve with time; or a place where you can brainstorm or dump ideas.” I am also regarding it as a chance to look for other types of resources from the internet and connect concepts and themes I learned to my class readings. I think I will continue the habit of keeping a research journal as I formally start my dissertation. I want to use it to help me keep writing, clarify ideas, sort my thoughts, and record some resources.

I think the weekly journaling helped me map out where I want my project to go, and helped me just put things on paper which has helped me understand my own research better as well.

Dr. McClish-Boyd served as a panelist during a workshop for our McNair scholars. The goal of the panel was to provide the students with an opportunity to hear advice about graduate school from role models who recently completed their doctorates. As a panelist, Dr. McClish-Boyd shared her story candidly with sensitivity and professionalism and served as an inspiration for the students who look to follow in her footsteps.

…before we started our journey together, I definitely felt imposter syndrome, like I wasn’t good enough like I didn’t know enough and I struggle with that but working together has helped me put things into perspective.

I truly looked forward to our sessions on Tuesdays and I felt like I always had the support (especially emotionally) that I needed to be successful. I've also learned that I know a lot more than I give myself credit for. I was so worried that I would struggle with coaching, but I actually feel like I thrived and I'm truly proud of myself.

It was inspiring to have a woman of color who has a Ph.D. facilitating the session. This conference has given me the hope that I can accomplish anything.