99 Research Reflection by Lydia Altamiranda

Faculty Mentor: Lindsay Gezinski (Social Work, University of Utah)

Having the opportunity to do research as an undergrad at the University of Utah this summer has been amazing. Working with the Department of Social Work throughout the summer has opened new doors for me in ways that I hadn’t even dreamed of. As someone who would like to pursue a Master’s in Social Work, it has been such a great experience to see how Social Work is used on a day-to-day basis to help those in our community. My lab was filled with individuals who have a strong passion for researching human trafficking survivors. I got to see how their passion was weaved into the research that was being published and throughout different discussions, that passion made its way into the conversation. The research I was doing was exciting and also serious. There were moments of silence as I put the data together to create findings, and moments of hope as I thought about the future direction of research in this field. In a way that’s quite hard to understand

When I first started my research on human trafficking survivors, there was so much I didn’t know. The literature review that I devoted time to helped me to understand what is available now. It helped me look through data and understand where researchers need to go from here. I was able to gain a foundation for what human trafficking survivors go through once they can get away from those environments. This increased my empathy skills as well as trauma-informed skills.

Once I moved into stakeholder mapping, I was able to see how scarce resources are. I imagined that there would be more organizations that were focused on human trafficking, but found that there were almost none in my search throughout the US. I found that Utah had the lowest amount of organizations, sitting at #50. The more I talked with organizations and got information on the types of housing available, the more I realized that this research was crucial. It is so important that we do this work so that we have data that can inform researchers and organizations on how to to best help human trafficking survivors.

This undergraduate research has impacted my future goals in several ways. I would like to open up a non-profit organization that has a focus on violence. While I have not decided what type of violence I would like to do research in yet, this experience has introduced devoting my career in human trafficking survivors. I have realized that as someone who wants to help others and make a difference, the first thing to do is look at what Utah needs. Look through the organizations and resources that Utah needs, rather than what I think Utah needs and wants. With Utah only having one organization that is focusing on human trafficking survivors, it has intrigued me into thinking of continuing research in this area and building upon what I have already found.

I am so grateful for the experience that I have had doing undergraduate research in the summer. It has such an amazing way for me to contribute to society and learn more about what I am so pleased to announce that I will be continuing this work and it will become my Honors Thesis. There is so much for me to learn in this area, and I cannot wait to continue doing research!