{"id":175055,"date":"2021-07-14T13:17:14","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T17:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=175055"},"modified":"2022-02-28T13:38:30","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T18:38:30","slug":"eli-collins-22-clas-hopes-to-create-more-inclusivity-through-research-on-queer-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2021\/07\/eli-collins-22-clas-hopes-to-create-more-inclusivity-through-research-on-queer-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Eli Collins ’22 (CLAS) Hopes to Create More Inclusivity Through Research on Queer Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

UConn\u2019s Office of Undergraduate Research each year provides Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) awards to support full-time undergraduate students in summer research or creative projects \u2013 an initiative that continues this year, despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/em><\/p>\n

This summer, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is highlighting undergraduate student experiences through programs like SURF and other opportunities.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Name, pronouns<\/strong>: Eli Collins, they\/them<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Glastonbury, Connecticut<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Year:<\/strong> Rising senior<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Major:<\/strong> Linguistics\/Psychology<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What inspired you to research this topic?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The topic I chose\u00a0is\u00a0a passion of mine that I\u2019ve been\u00a0interested in for most of my life. I wanted to explore something I have learned about\u00a0extensively outside of schoolwork through an academic lens with critical analysis and\u00a0use my insider knowledge of the topic to contribute meaningfully to research,\u00a0that hopefully others can build\u00a0off of\u00a0in the future. It\u2019s important to me as a queer\u00a0person to see the interests and different lifestyles of myself and the community<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>represented in academia, and I can only hope to inspire other queer kids to pursue what<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>they\u2019re passionate about, even if it seems silly or odd.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>What is your favorite part about research?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I like the independence and somewhat open-endedness of the process with\u00a0all of\u00a0its trial<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and error. Working at my own pace in a schedule I\u2019ve set is beyond helpful, especially in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the time of Covid-19 and remote learning and working. Even though tasks might seem<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>menial at times, I feel proud of the work I\u2019m doing and my continued<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>growth as a student, writer, and researcher.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>How has your major(s) prepared you for your internship?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the best things about studying psychology at UConn is the variety. There are<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>multiple paths you can take when it comes to specialization, and the size and funding<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>behind UConn\u2019s Department of Psychology allows students to figure out where they<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>want to go with their major and find out what they are and aren\u2019t interested in pursuing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Having a major with a research track has been especially helpful when you\u2019re trying to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>figure out where to even start. Even taking one course specifically about research in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>psychology has been immensely helpful and has aided me in getting a position as a lab<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>RA and making connections.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are some tips for students interested in research?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Step out of your comfort zone! As someone who came into UConn with no research<\/span> experience, it was difficult finding where and how to start getting involved; but between<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Office of Undergraduate Research<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and your academic advisor, there are plenty of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>people willing to help you with the process and figuring out what seems right for you. No<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>one is expecting you to do it all by yourself.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Second,\u00a0don\u2019t be afraid to take risks out of\u00a0fear of making mistakes. Every step is a learning experience. Reaching out to professors or labs is a daunting task, but at the end of the day,\u00a0everyone is human, makes mistakes and remembers what it was like to be an\u00a0undergraduate finding their way in the academic and professional world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, make connections. Go to professors\u2019 office hours even if you don\u2019t have questions about the course material. Talk to them after class about something that interested you during their lecture or lab. Find out what events the department is putting on that are open to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>students. Ask your TAs what their postgraduate process has been like and if they have advice. Most people are more than willing to talk to someone interested in their field of work and offer advice if you need it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>What are your plans after graduation?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I plan on applying to graduate school and hope to take on a part-time position in a lab<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>while I work on a graduate degree. I know that wherever I end up I\u2019ll have plenty of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>options and opportunities that my cumulative semesters of research have helped open<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the doors to. Regardless, I just hope to be happy and\u00a0doing\u00a0work that I love.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The flexibility of the psychological sciences major and a SURF award enabled Eli Collins to pursue their interest in exploring queer identity and emo rock subculture of the early 2000s. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148,"featured_media":175090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2226,2373],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2310],"class_list":["post-175055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clas","category-psychological-sciences"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-30 07:59:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175055"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175094,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175055\/revisions\/175094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/175090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175055"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=175055"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=175055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}