Julianna Kuzniar


Responsibilities
My primary responsibilities during this internship were to lead session visits for the CBT+ and EpiFIT studies, process blood samples taken during assessment visits for both studies, organize and validate data entries, and collaborate with other lab members during meetings regarding the studies that the Wellbeing and Exercise Lab is running. Additionally, because the lab has been transitioning to being run at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was able to assist in that transition by creating different materials that would be used once the lab’s research studies start up again at UW.
Accomplishments
My greatest accomplishment during this internship had to do with the relationships and connections I was able to form with study participants. Recruiting individuals to participate in a study and maintaining their enrollment in the study is no easy feat, but all of the participants I worked with one-on-one fully completed the studies they were involved in! I think this was largely due to them feeling as though the research staff, myself included, truly cared about them. Overall, having the opportunity to get to know them and partially facilitating their growth and the betterment of certain situations in their lives was extremely rewarding and something that I take pride in having been a part of.
Learning experience
Through this experience, I think the greatest lesson I learned was how important it is to ask questions and be curious. No matter what field or position I end up in, I’m never going to know everything, which is completely normal. Learning to push my pride to the side and ask questions or for clarification, even if it felt “silly,” was one of the best things I learned to do during this internship, and I think it’s allowed me to grow as an individual and professional.
What advice would you give?
My largest piece of advice to future students would be to get involved and try to gain as much experience as possible. Even if an experience doesn’t seem to align with where you see yourself in the future, it could be a great stepping stone that will help get you where you want to be. Additionally, it could help you learn more about yourself and what kind of career you actually want to pursue in the future, even if it doesn’t seem like it will.