Lidia Wolday didn’t see herself as someone who could do research when she arrived at UC Davis. A first-generation student, she had just transferred from a community college.
“Research felt far from my world,” she said.
Wolday, a statistics major with a minor in technology management, is graduating this year on the heels of completing an ambitious research study of her own while taking part in the Mentorship for Undergraduate Research Participants in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MURPPS). This College of Letters and Science mentoring program offers students the chance to work with professors on research.
When Wolday first joined the program, she didn’t know what to expect. The program is designed to increase the number of underserved students who pursue graduate studies in the physical and mathematical sciences. She was mentored by Natalia Caporale, an associate professor of teaching in the College of Biological Sciences Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior.
Wolday’s project, "Examining Course Enrollment Behaviors of Students on Academic Probation," looked at how students from different backgrounds chose their classes after being placed on academic probation and how their choices changed.
It was through this research that she realized research is more than just data. It’s about telling stories and making a difference.
Wolday had a chance to tell these stories when she presented at academic conferences at UC Davis. These included the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference.
She said that she was nervous, but these experiences made her proud to see how far she had come since her first days on campus. She began to feel more confident about applying to graduate school, which she will do this fall.
Wolday said that building confidence the way she did is possible for anyone.
“To anyone just getting started, especially if you’re unsure of yourself, if you ever feel like you don’t belong in these spaces, I want to say that you do,” she said. “Research isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about being curious, being open to learning and just trying.”
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