AUTUMN RITTER
Minnesota State University - Mankato, Class of 2022

SYNTHESIS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

At the start of my time in the Honors program, I truthfully was very worried about my research experiences. I only thought of research in the traditional sense of doing science in a lab or studies in humanities, and I was very aware of the fact that I was neither studying these areas nor talented in them. However, I have learned that research is much broader than just a science experiment, and because of that I have been able to incorporate research ventures into my studies that better align with my goals and aspirations as a business professional.

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In general, my four most prominent research experiences can be separated into two categories - formal research and hands-on experience - with on in each category acting as a foundation for the next. Both of my formal research opportunities occurred in classes I was taking at the time. The first was during Honors Psychology 101, where each student conducted research on a specific study tip, the psychology behind it, and how an individual student can incorporate this into their study habits. Although it seemed like every other school project at the time, the Honors component of this course helped me more consciously realize effective methods for gathering and synthesizing information, as well as the impact these have on the final product of research. This awareness was then further employed within Gender & Women's Studies 330, where I conducted a much more in-depth original research project on the Black Panther Party. The results of this research was an informal thesis on the BPP's history of activism, usage of feminism, and evaluation of the overall effectiveness of these methods.

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In terms of my hands-on experiences, I have found these to be much more impactful to my studies not only because they are more closely related to my future career, but also because I learn best in interactive moments. During my sophomore year, I participated in a service-learning opportunity with Habitat for Humanity. During this time, I was focused on learning as much as I could about nonprofit operations, which resulted in research via observation and conversation, rather than textbooks. The employees at Habitat for Humanity became my "primary sources", in which I was synthesizing information simply by taking each person's perspective and shaping it into a general model of good practices within a nonprofit organization. Ultimately, the culmination of my research development materialized as participation in the Integrated Business Experience (IBE) Practicum during the spring of 2020. Every research skill I had learned up until that point was put to work, both in formal research of marketing and sales, as well as hands-on experience through the operation of my group's company. The IBE Practicum included a dissemination of our hypotheses and a final analysis of our results, both of which helped me realize the importance of high-quality research dissemination. Especially in the business world, if you are unable to accurately communicate your hypotheses or results, you could lose an important deal or misguide the company altogether.

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Throughout the entirety of my college experiences, I strongly believe that I have learned the importance of accuracy and ethics when it comes to research. I have participated in solo research as well as within a team, and both have provided unique insights into the utilization of research skills. Although my research capabilities and knowledge will not be used in a traditional research setting, I still believe they will be powerful tools as they are translated into the necessary experiential research of the corporate world!