Undergraduates in Family Social Science are sharing their senior year internship and research experiences in videos and posters this spring at both virtual and in-person events.
Field Experience helps students bridge from classroom to real world
Undergraduates are required to complete the FSOS course “Field Experience” that includes 100 hours at community work and learning sites around the Twin Cities. Designed to help students practice skills they’ve learned in the classroom and gain career-building experience, students are sharing what they learned in Flipgrid videos at the Spring 2022 Virtual Undergraduate Showcase site.
Mark Fleury interned as a Supervised Parenting Monitor for Family Wise Services in St. Paul where he monitored parent-child visits and documented what he observed.
“What I have seen in these months is that regardless of the level of distress that these families are dealing with, these visits are really a sacred space,” he says. “What I learned is that treating these parents with dignity and respect actually helps them cultivate healthier relationships with their kids.”
He adds that being able to see this play out in tangible ways has been gratifying as he plans to earn his Master of Professional Studies in Addiction Counseling and become a licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC) to help families heal from addiction.
Here’s the direct link to Flipgrid: https://flipgrid.com/6c9c410d to view undergraduates’ videos.
Research is also a major component in FSOS
FSOS undergraduate students also have the option to do a research internship if their post-graduation plans are to pursue a career in fields where research is a key skill.
Three undergraduate students from Family Social Science shared their research at the U of M’s Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Coffman Union Great Hall in April. Others will be sharing their projects at the Spring 2022 Capstone Celebration in May.
The Undergraduate Research Symposium is an annual research fair held every Spring that gives all undergraduate researchers from all University of Minnesota campuses a chance to share their research, scholarly, and creative projects with the University community.
Maggie Greenleaf shared research on “Decolonizing Research Methodology,” a partnership with the National Native American Board School Healing Coalition and the First Nations Repatriation Institute. Previously Greenleaf and Sara Axtell, FSOS instructor and Greenleaf’s undergraduate research advisor, were “Peoples’ Choice” winners in the Education Research & Educational Equity category for their poster at the College of Education and Human Development’s Research Day in March.
Amy Wegner also presented her research poster at the Symposium. Mentored by Susan Walker, associate professor, Wegner is the lead on the collaboration project, “Statewide Jurisdictional Comparison of Equity and Access in ECFE During the 2020-2021 School Year,” with FSOS PhD graduate students, Malina Her and Lila Khan.
Claire Busse presented her research during the symposium and also at the CEHD Research Day in March. She developed a trauma-informed leadership training that incorporated her knowledge about trauma and how it impacts people’s minds and bodies for peer leaders in the University of Minnesota’s marching band. Busse is a UMN Honors student and was advised by Lindsey Weiler, associate professor and FSOS honors faculty representative. You can read more about her story on the CEHD news blog.
Spring 2022 Capstone Celebration
The Family Social Science Spring 2022 Capstone Celebration will give undergraduates the opportunity to share their research projects with the U of M community, family, and friends. The event is Friday, May 6, 3:30 – 5 p.m. in McNeal Hall on the UMN St. Paul campus, 1985 Buford Avenue. To RSVP visit: z.umn.edu/spring-2022-capstone
