50 Research Reflection by Jasmine Aguilar Lopez

Faculty Mentor: Leandra Hernández (Communication, University of Utah)

I would describe my undergraduate research as rewarding and unique. As a first-gen Mexican-American navigating academia, I am very grateful to have such a wonderful faculty mentor, Dr. Leandra Hernandez, that would push me out of my comfort zone. This included applying to an out of state conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico and participating in Research Day on the Hill which I thought were unattainable. Dr. Hernández is filled with so much knowledge that it made writing this research fun and exciting, what has evolved as a pilot study in her class has now become my pride and joy. She has been instrumental in achieving my honors thesis goals and would recommend her to students who would like to strengthen their knowledge in environmental justice(EJ), Latinx communities, reproductive justice(RJ), and health communication.

This project furthermore is my own lived experience. This piece is for my comunidad Latina on the West-side of Salt Lake City and my family who endlessly supported me! I wanted it to reflect the ongoing struggles of Latina women and the intersection between RJ and EJ, my own mother serving as a catalyst for the need of this type of research. I also wanted to give a voice to a community that does not feel like they have a say in the conversation. I hope through this I am able to spark more open conversations and make citizen science more accessible to members of my community. This project has led me to understand that our stories are data just waiting to be deciphered into real world evidence and is crucial for societal change! I will continue to keep myself involved in research. I already had in mind to further my education but this paper will serve as evidence to do just so. I will continue to have this paper in mind as I am navigating my full-time role within Pfizer’s Breakthrough Fellowship program. It has been a journey I will have so much gratitude for!