Research is an integral part of our mission and our annual Research and Creativity Expo underscores our dedication to student research. This year’s event (April 27-May 6) showcases research projects that our students have been working on with the guidance of their faculty mentors.
Jennifer Chin ’25, a forensic psychology major from Queens, New York, grew up with lots of different languages swirling around in her household. Identifying as “half Chinese and half African American” because her father has Chinese and Portuguese ancestors, and her mother is a Black woman from Côte d'Ivoire, Chin’s likely to hear a mix of Cantonese, Portuguese, French, English, and Spanish on a typical day. She often wondered if there was a link between how easily a person learned a language and their relationship with the culture and speakers.
To explore this question, Chin wrote an essay on the emotions involved in learning a language. Reflecting on her deep love of Spanish, Chin observes, “I was mainly raised by a woman from Honduras who I call my grandmother. She speaks Spanish with some broken English.” Spanish, Chin says, “Fills me with feelings of home. Those familiar rolled r’s remind me of my grandmother. It makes me think of cooking that’s been stewing for hours and my grandmother kissing me on my forehead.”
Less interested in learning French and Mandarin, Chin notes, “I grew up in a predominantly Chinese neighborhood. If you weren’t born in China, and you don’t speak Mandarin, you’re treated differently. It made me feel excluded.” Similarly, an uncomfortable visit to Côte d'Ivoire with her mother made French less desirable to learn. “I struggled fruitlessly to speak to my maternal grandmother, a woman I didn’t know and didn’t have a bond with.”
“You want your audience to relate to your research. Write with emotion and passion so the topic resonates with people and the paper doesn’t drag.” —Jennifer Chin ’25
Jennifer’s Top Research Tips:
- Start with an outline. When you’re writing your research paper, having an outline to follow helps create a cohesive piece that flows naturally.
- Make your points clear. You don’t want your reader to have to dig through your essay to figure out your main points. First, write straightforward points, then expand on them.
- Write with the reader in mind. You want your audience to relate to your research. Write with emotion and passion so the topic resonates with people and the paper doesn’t drag.
- Logically integrate the citations. Otherwise, the paper can feel very stiff and unnatural. Use citations throughout your work to support your thesis, instead of making them the main players just at the beginning and end.
- Seek multiple perspectives. Dig deep into your topic. One perspective is never the full story.
