I remember failing at something for the first time when I was in the fourth grade. A Type A personality even at 8 years old my fellow students elected me the wagon leader in the simulation of the Oregon Trail we were completing as a project. My leadership skills developed as the head of the wagon train, but when we were allowed to take a shortcut my skills were tested. My whole group voted to take the shortcut, while I was entirely opposed. Unfortunately taking the shortcut resulted in half of our group dying of dysentery and the death of my beloved cow. As I tried to ensure the rest of our team survived with an 8-year-old's sense of riotous indignation I asked my group why they had may the choice to take the shortcut. I wanted to understand their motivation to take the risk.Although I continued to be fascinated with human motivation throughout my education, I entered university as a mathematics major. However, when I failed Vector Calculus my first term I felt a little lost, so I decided to just take a random assortment of classes my second term. That’s how I stumbled into Anthropology and Psychology. Failing Vector Calculus allowed me to step outside of what I thought I wanted and explore a passion I had always had. Things fell further into place when I took Interpersonal Relationships as an elective. After taking that course I switched my major from mathematics and double majored in anthropology and psychology.Still as diligent and Type A as I was in the fourth grade my graduate teaching assistant in Psychological Research Methods took notice of my abilities to navigate the course. When she asked if I was volunteering in a research laboratory and when I responded “no” she recommended me as a volunteer to her supervisor. Clearly, my ability to complete diligent and effective work showed because when I began thinking about graduate school that professor agreed to be my supervisor. Although before I graduated I retook Vector Calculus earning a B. That failure helped me understand that just because something sounds good in your head it doesn’t mean anything if you’re not passionate about it.I greatly enjoyed the research environment of grad school, but after graduating I became interested in learning how to apply my research and statistical skills. Academic research is great, but can only speculate what the implications of findings might have in context. I want to better utilize my skills to see a question through to a conclusion by not simply asking a research question, but applying the answer.
