I think I am still naive about research and about how much work goes into making a project. Even after being through the process once, it’s still hard to believe everything that had to be done. But I believe the Aresty program has helped me to find things I’m interested in—such as narrowing my research interests. I have found such satisfaction from learning about a different culture and the problems they encounter. However, that has left me unsatisfied because I do not know what to do to help them. So, I guess what I’d like to explore further are the policy implications of this research. It will definitely help me to take classes that deal with inequality in developing nations and to see how such problems are mitigated.

Research is an extremely thorough activity—this kind of behavior has been prevalent in my other classes because of research I have had to do for papers and projects. However, I have also found this type of behavior in other areas like dance. I was a choreographer for the Rutgers Performing Dance Company this past semester and it’s made me realize how thorough I have to be in this process as well. The method of research has made the most impact in other parts of my life.

To: Senator Kip Bateman
The institution of a three-year pilot program that will provide instruction in personal finance to high school seniors will help teach the next generation about the importance of money and responsibility. It is this next generation that will influence the direction that our great country proceeds in—growing up skeptical of our financial system, their young minds need to be taught how our economy functions and what their role is in the financial world. In time, this bill will aid in restoring faith in our financial system and will facilitate bringing our economy back to its feet.

We fully support this bill and what is attempted to be accomplished by its enactment. However, the issues of responsibility, money, debt, etc. are important ones that should be taught to children from a young age. At Rutgers University, we have begun a project concerning economics and children where this website (http://econkids.rutgers.edu) provides a resource to teachers, parents, and volunteers who want to introduce the topic of economics to children. The website features books published from 2006 to 2009, as well as books organized strictly by economic concept. It is a user-friendly website with a mission to bring the world of economics to the youngest generation. We hope you can make a few visits to this website over the coming months and generate a few ideas for legislation that will teach students of all ages about the importance of financial responsibility.

This letter shows how I have related what I have been learning over this past year into policies and legislations in the present. I had to use my research skills to understand the background of the bill and then relate our project to it.

I see myself as the same in that I am still interested in psychology, social-emotional learning, and issues related to schools. I believe that I am different because I have learned a great deal about the research process, graduate study, and statistics. I also have a clearer idea about the career path that I want to pursue.
While I did find interesting results, I was not able to determine if there was an interaction between school size and socioeconomic status in my study. In the future, I could use a sample that would allow for certain tests to be performed.

The one thing that has stayed constant through this experience is my drive and continued interest in the subject of social entrepreneurship and the strive to relay this information to the public through programs such as the Byrne Seminar. Unlike some research which might involve redundant exercises and reading, this is a field that is constantly changing and evolving and because of this fact, we too must change and evolve what we are trying to teach and how we try to teach the material. Saying this, much has changed since we first started in September. I personally now feel much more comfortable with creating resources to teach from and now know so much more about where to look and how to present information in a way that is not only informative, but also interesting and inspiring. At the beginning I think everyone including myself was a bit lost on how to approach this subject simply because it was such a new idea and there was not many examples to draw off of. Now I have a better understanding of where to look, what information to pull and how to present it in a clear and concise manner. I think this is one of the best parts of undergraduate research, being able to learn and develop one’s skills through academia. One might be surprised how many skills can be learned or developed from this kind of research.

In what ways do you see yourself as the same as when you began the Aresty RA program? In what ways do you see yourself as different? What questions has your experience raised for you to explore in the future? How might you go about doing that?

I think that I still possess a great interest in social action projects and engaging others, especially my fellow peers, in such activities. Now I see myself as a person who has a better understanding of what an entrepreneur does and how to become one. This research project has provided me with a more lucid understanding that it is possible to use business and wanting to help people to create positive change in one’s community. This research project has also given be a better understanding of what I want to do with my future. I wish to get a Masters in Global Public Health and now an MBA in Global Management.

My research of Social Entrepreneurship has helped me better understand what motivates students to be invovled in social action projects. I am currently involved in various global development organizations and I did a lot of research on Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Muhammad Yunus's, microfinance project. Oxfam Rutgers has recently hosted a benefit fashion show to raise funds and awareness for microfinance organzation KIVA. I have also learned a lot about what social entrepreneurship is and I have developed a strong interest in applying the business aspects to social action projects, something that I am passionate about. This research experience has helped me realize that I want to pursue an MBA in Global Development. I never clearly understood that business and social change/global development can be implemented with each other. My research has opened many doors for me to explore and to expand my knowledge and interests for my future.

I have seen connections between my research experience and my activities both within and outside the classroom. Some of the skills (e.g. using Excel and SPSS) I have acquired during my research experience have helped me with my schoolwork. In my psychology classes, I was able to apply what I have learned through research to what I was reading in the text and hearing during lecture.

Because I want to become a teacher, I spend a lot of time outside of Rutgers in elementary and secondary classrooms. My research about developing safe and civil schools has tied into these field experiences. I am able to see firsthand the importance of social-emotional learning, the effects of bullying, and other issues that my lab is involved in. Because of my position as a research assistant, I have begun to critically examine what I observe in the classroom and long-term implications of certain practices, policies, incidents, etc.

A topic that I really learned more about in detail was microfinance and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s Grameen Bank project. He is a successful entrepreneur who started a global program that provides loans to the poor so that they can lift themselves out of poverty. The results of his project are remarkable and the structure of microfinance is sweeping across the world. Dean Matsuda asked us to focus a lot on the way Dr. Yunus started his project and what kind of resources and strategies he used to be a successful entrepreneur for his microfinance project. We compiled this information in power point presentations for his Bryne Seminar class and during one of the sessions, two Rutgers students who started their own microfinance project in New Brunswick also came and spoke about becoming social entrepreneurs. From this type of research I learned that students are better able to ‘see’ and realize that it is possible for them to become social entrepreneurs as well. Although there are challenges, they can reach their goals. It is sometimes easier to see a Rutgers peer talk about his experience compared to a lecturer because students can relate to other students. I think this methodology of teaching and research is more effective than reading from a text book.

Below is a Staff Climate Survey Summary Report by Gender for a high school (sorry about the formatting issues). There are nine questions listed and the means are reported for each of them by gender. The number of people who answered each question is listed below the mean. This is an example of one of the reports that I am responsible for doing independently.


Support and Care For Parents Support and Care By and for Staff Student Respect Friendship and Belonging Students Shaping Their Environment Professional
Interaction Effective Discipline Supportive Leadership Appraisal and Recognition
Mean 3.87 4.09 3.63 3.53 3.54 4.05 3.86 3.31 4.13
n 56 56 56 56 56 56 56 56 56

Mean 3.93 4.15 3.99 3.94 3.69 3.98 3.70 3.20 3.96
n 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27