What did I do for my practicum?
For my practicum, I was a research intern for a PhD candidate through the University of Maryland Department of Kinesiology. As a research intern, I was given various roles and responsibilities, which included reading articles and becoming familiar with writing and developing a reference source
. Additionally, I collected and analyzed data while learning to become familiar with it. The major role I had throughout the semester was working on a Media Analysis Project on Nike Athlete Caster Semenya. This project would eventually lead to a paper being published. I watched Nike advertisements on Caster Semenya and took notes on themes and messages, which eventually led me to building manuscript around data
. Constructing a draft and writing parts of a findings section by extracting evidence that supported my analysis was major responsibility of mine. I also helped develop sections of the literature review.
How did I find my practicum? What advice would I give to future Media Scholars on identifying a practicum site?
I found my practicum by reaching out to one of my professors from my first semester of sophomore year. I heard that she was doing research and I was interested in what she the topics she was covering. I joined her Office Hours and discussed what her research entailed and after our discussion she thought I would really enjoy helping out one of her PhD candidates with their own research. I was connected with the PhD candidate and was given the opportunity to be a research intern while choosing which project I could help her with! My advice would be to not be afraid to reach out to people. By reaching out to my professor about her own research, I was able to find a practicum that I was really interested in and loved being a part of.
What did I learn from my practicum?
I learned a lot from my practicum, which included becoming knowledgeable about the research process as a whole, constructing a findings section and literature review, and further developing my ability to analyze media, more specifically Nike advertisements on Caster Semenya. Learning about how to write a journal article and then being able to contribute my own writing with the help of my supervisor to a journal article on the media analysis of Nike advertisements on South African runner Caster Semenya was very rewarding. One of the most important things I learned was the ability to take information that I learned from my supervisor and implement it into what I was able to do throughout the whole semester, which was construct a journal article.
How have I grown as a person, student, and/or professional?
I have grown a lot as a person, student, and professional from this practicum experience. Being able to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to my professor in order to get the practicum experience has given me the confidence to reach out to other individuals who have future career paths that I admire and also reach out if I have any questions about school and my future. Additionally, I have been able to further develop a sense of holding myself accountable as a student and professional to uphold the responsibilities I had been assigned as a research intern. Being able to collaborate with and intern for an experienced, mature, and highly qualified professional allowed me take in as much knowledge and learn so much about not only the research process, but also how to work as a team. Below I have a picture from one of the weekly Zoom meetings I had with my supervisor, Anna Posbergh. Working with Anna has led to my grow as not only a student, but as a person, which is why I provided this screenshot from one of our many meetings where we worked together and I was able to learn so much.
How can I apply my practicum experience to your life/career moving forward?
One of the most important skills I learned from this experience was being able to work as team with my supervisor. We bounced ideas off of one another and listened to what we each had to say, which is important for any future profession or career path. Being able to contribute to a journal article that is going to be published has allowed me to get involved in research, which I had never really done before. Having my name on a published article is something that I would never expected and has definitely been a unique learning experience that has prepared me for future research. Using my previous knowledge about media analysis and learning even more about it and how a journal article is constructed will help me with future classes and future projects I am a part of. Having this practicum gave me skills in various areas whether it be teamwork, research, and collaboration. Attached below is my resume, which includes my practicum experience!
Caitlin Kane Resume | |
File Size: | 169 kb |
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What are your plans for the rest of your time at UMD, Post-graduation and my prospective career / field of interest?
For the rest of my time at UMD, I hope to continue to get involved and learn as much as possible about anything I am interested in. In order to get this practicum, I reached out to a professor and I got a wonderful experience out of that. If there is a class that interests me or a professor that specializes in a one of my field of interests I will definitely reach out. Post-graduation I hope to attend graduate school to get my PsyD in Clinical Psychology. Working with others is something I've always been wanted to do and my love for sports has gotten me interested in sports psychology. Working with athletes so that is something I really hope to get into as a future career path!