Hi!
My name is Mariana Bowring. I am a rising senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Gender, Race, and Nation. I work as a research assistant in two labs here at University of Michigan and one lab at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My research interests include reproductive/sexual justice, anti-racism, gender equity, and intersectional feminism.
This summer I will be participating as a Research Assistant on a project around Trans Masculinity, Identity, and Pregnancy. My expectations for this summer research project are to gain a better understanding of media research, explore qualitative interview methods around pregnancy, and further better myself as a researcher. I took a Sexuality and Media Psychology class this past semester and found it all really fascinating. Most of my research experience falls under Psychology, so I’m very excited to get some media research experience this summer, analyzing news and social media. I have also begun work on my senior honors thesis where I will be conducting qualitative interviews with community college women about pregnancy attitudes and socioeconomic status. I hope to be able to sit in on some of the interviews being conducted with participants in this summer research project to get some hands-on experience before conducting my own. With plans of applying to grad school at the end of this year, I am hopeful that this summer will be a really great opportunity to build and strengthen my research skills.
Some of the challenges I expect to encounter include adapting to a new research field and learning how to conduct qualitative research having a mostly quantitative background. These are challenges I’m very excited to take on! The skills and experiences I am bringing to this project include a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a passion for research. Being a nontraditional student, I’ve spent a lot of time working all different kinds of day jobs and exploring what I want to do with my life. That journey has led me to the world of academia and I’m so grateful to get to conduct research all summer long. And I’m excited for you to be along this adventure with me!
Me and my research buddy, Ponyo