Every year, our First-Year Student Showcase is a highly anticipated event because it features the justice-focused research of our newest John Jay students. The variety of topics covered is wide, the methodology is intriguing, and in many cases, the outcomes are surprising and inspiring. Guided by faculty and staff mentors, along with the unwavering support of Associate Director of First Year Programs, Nancy Yang, this year’s first-year scholars did not disappoint with their recent research presentations. We connected with some of the presenters and dived a little deeper into their theories, methodologies, and findings.
Political Science major and APPLE Corps student Shanyce C. Taylor ’25 knows how valuable and important representation is for students—whether it’s in the classroom, community leadership, or in our government. That’s why for her First-Year Showcase project Taylor knew she wanted to dive deeper into the inequities in our systems of government. “During our First-Year Seminar class, one of the themes we studied was structural racism. So, when it came to choosing a focus for our First-Year Student Showcase project, my group and I decided to look at structural racism within the education system. More specifically, in our project we wanted to see the impact diversity in faculty—or the lack of it—has on Black and Hispanic students,” explains Taylor. “Communities of color don’t always have access to great representation in our systems and that needs to change. As we conducted interviews with students and faculty, it was clear to see how passionate they were about the issue. Seeing how much they cared about diversity and its impact on students was refreshing.”
“Communities of color don’t always have access to great representation in our systems and that needs to change.” —Shanyce Taylor
What were some of the methodologies used while conducting your research?
As a group, we were able to conduct public observations and interviews with current first-year students and faculty members at the College. At first, it was challenging because we had to work around multiple people’s schedules to conduct the interviews. We also had to respect Covid-19 regulations, so we wanted to make sure anyone we were in contact with was comfortable and that we were all staying safe. But what was really challenging was getting some of the people to open up and talk about their experiences.
What were some of the conclusions you were able to draw from your project?
We were able to see that diversity in the classroom matters to students but that the issue affects each individual in a variety of different ways. Through this project we were able to see how no problem has just one simple answer.
What kind of skills did you gain from working on your showcase project?
Working on the project helped improve my time management, collaboration, and listening skills. When I conducted interviews and observations, it required me to do a lot of careful listening, pay attention, and read body language. Being able to sit and listen to someone’s story and learn how they are affected by certain issues was a very rewarding experience for me. It expanded my empathy toward others. I was able to feel what they were feeling and putting myself in their mindset really helped deepen the research. Also, I found that conducting this first-year project really boosted my confidence and it made me more open-minded to new research opportunities.
“I found that conducting this first-year project really boosted my confidence and it made me more open-minded to new research opportunities.” —Shanyce Taylor
What did you learn about working in a group?
This was my first big research project at John Jay. At first, I was nervous. I didn’t know if I would be able to interact effectively with the group since the work had to be done online. Thankfully, we worked well together. We learned to communicate effectively; we valued our collaboration; we had mutual respect toward each other; and we learned the importance of compromise.
Who were your biggest supporters in helping you complete this project?
Of course, the members of our group were a very important support system. We did our best to help each other along the way. Our First-Year Seminar professor, Professor Marta-Laura Haynes, Ph.D., was a huge help and super supportive of the group. She assisted us throughout the project, supplying us with different resources we could investigate.
“Don’t let the challenges that come up throughout the research process set you back—stay the course and keep going.” —Shanyce Taylor
What advice would you give to freshman students who are about to conduct research for the first time?
I would say, don’t let the challenges that come up throughout the research process set you back—stay the course and keep going. Also, don’t take any differences of opinion within the group, personally. Stay true to your research, communicate with your group members, and work toward conducting the best research you can.
