Allison Schwam is a MS in Experimental Psychology student at Western. She shares about her experience working on research projects below.

1) When did you start working on research with Dr. Warren and in what capacity?

I started working with Dr. Warren in the winter of 2020. I saw Dr. Warren speak at the Center for Cross Cultural Research about her research on allyship and was very interested in her line of research. After seeing her presentation, I reached out to her to introduce myself and she has granted me the opportunity to collaborate with her on several projects as a voluntary research assistant.

2) What are the different activities you did on each of the projects?

I have worked with Dr. Warren on two different papers regarding cross-cultural happiness – examining wellbeing profiles and positive psychology interventions – and another paper regarding male allyship and wellbeing in the academic workplace. Between these projects, I have edited manuscripts for APA style, addressed reviewer comments, assisted in running data analyses, conducted literature reviews, and assisted in manuscript writing.

3) What skills have you developed through your research assistantship?

Through my time working with Dr. Warren, I have had several opportunities to grow as a researcher. I have gotten firsthand experience in writing, revising, and editing manuscripts and addressing comments from reviewers, which is incredibly valuable for someone like me who is at the start of her career. Beyond that, working with Dr. Warren has also provided me with a new perspective on how to approach crafting a story in a manuscript. I greatly admire Dr. Warren for her abilities to draw unique connections from existing literature and to communicate complex research ideas in an accessible manner. These are skills that cannot necessarily be taught in a classroom, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with someone who has allowed me to develop these skills. I am certain that, through my work on these projects, I have become not only a better writer, but more importantly a better researcher with a greater ability to critically think about research I am conducting and consuming.

4) What are your ambitions for how you want to use this research experience for your future professional goals?

I am about to graduate from the Experimental Psychology Masters program here at Western, and I intend to apply to PhD programs in Social Psychology this upcoming fall. Working with Dr. Warren has allowed me to develop and hone my skills as a researcher that I am sure will be invaluable to my future career in academia.