47 Research Reflection by Krystan Morrison

Faculty Mentor: Brandon James Render (History, University of Utah)

As a first generation college student, my undergraduate research process at the University of Utah was a learning experience. I did not know what to expect in terms of responsibilities, extracurricular opportunities, and graduation requirements. I was unaware of several of the resources available to me as a student at the U, and I’m sure that I was not alone in this. While I think that these factors could have potentially been detrimental, I believe that the supportive and uplifting community of humanities scholars at the U more than made up for where administration efforts were lacking. Several professors provided me with much needed information that was invaluable to my research, and my peers openly and honestly engaged with my work in a way that strengthened my point of view and consequently, my argument. I believe that without this support I would not have been able to navigate my research experience as successfully and I would not be as engaged with my chosen topic as I am now. The importance of the humanities community at the U to my individual research convinces me that the structure of learning communities is inherently impactful to student’s educational opportunities and output. As a future goal, I hope to create safe and accepting communities throughout Utah secondary schools as a way to ensure greater academic success for students, especially among less affluent communities.