From: Kristin Ann Geraty 

Having only been part of the research team this year, I am disappointed that I
did not have the opportunity to work on an independent project.  The hands-on
research experience was great and was definitely not something I thought I’d
do as an undergrad.  I had taken a couple history courses on the Civil Rights
Movement and the 60’s in general, and the readings we did for the team helped
me to put the issues of this time period in perspective.

I found our discussions at the meetings to be the most valuable aspect of the
experience for me.  The level of discussion was so much higher than any other
class I’d taken.  As I sit in other sociology classes this semester, I am
surprised that people take whatever is said in an article that we read to be
true.  Discussions I’ve been having in other classes seem very basic compared
to some that we have had in our meetings.

As far as future plans go, I would probably be receiving rejection letters
from law schools or ACE right now and would be wondering what I was going to
do after graduation if I had not joined the team and met Dan.  I declared
sociology as a major at the beginning of my sophomore year but had only taken
2 sociology classes before this fall.  I read about the team on the soc
department website when I was trying to find classes for last semester, and I
thought it sounded like something I would enjoy.  You may be able to tell that
I don’t have a lot of direction in my life.  I had considered grad school
before, but never very seriously.  After my experiences with the team, and my
conversations with other people on the team looking at grad schools, I finally
figured out what I wanted to do.  I am extremely grateful to have had the
opportunity through the research team to learn about myself and my interests,
while also getting to know a group of open-minded, tolerant people.