September 21, 2010 (Jupiter, FL) – Kimberly MacDonald is a psychology researcher who has always loved to dance.  A junior at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, Kim co-founded and currently serves as vice president of the Owlettes and Company Dance Team. “The dance team has probably had the biggest effect on my life because I’ve been involved with it since its inception.  I can’t recall a time when dance wasn’t important to me, and I love that this club gives me the opportunity to share my love with others.”
Kim came to Florida Atlantic University from Nashville, Tennessee, where she attended high school at Battle Ground Academy in nearby Franklin. She says that she chose the Wilkes Honors College because she was “looking for a small liberal arts school with an intimate setting, one-on-one interactions with the faculty, and flexibility for undecided majors.”  That intimate setting has allowed Kim to become involved in all the activities that are important to her.  She is pursuing a concentration in Psychology and, in addition to her work with the dance team, has been highly active in the Psychology Club, Feminist Student Union, Spectrum (an organization that promotes appreciation for individuals regardless of their sexual orientation), and organizations outside the university as well.  She has volunteered for the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA).
            Kim’s APA membership arose out of work she was doing with the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) at the University of Michigan this past summer.  The Michigan program offers outstanding undergraduates who are under-represented in their field of study the chance to conduct intensive research across a wide variety of disciplines, essentially performing graduate-level research while still in a baccalaureate program.  All participants work closely with faculty mentors, pursue an independent project, and engage in a series of academic, professional, and personal development seminars. Participants then present the research arising out of their project at a concluding conference and a University of Michigan symposium.
            During the summer of 2010, Kim worked in Dr. Sari van Anders’ social neuroendocrinology lab where she both provided general lab assistance and pursued her project, Gender Identity and State Legislation: An Overview of Public Policy’s Association with Community Intolerance of Social Difference.  In this independent work, Kim researched state laws about changing the gender marker on birth certificates and their relationships with hate crime statistics and 2008 voting results.
            In the course of her research, Kim faced a significant challenge, but managed to overcome it: “My mentor, Dr. van Anders, treated me as if I were already a graduate student.  Especially compared to many students in the program who came from intensive research backgrounds, I felt out of place and incompetent at first.  But over time, I noticed that many of my skills from my broad liberal arts education actually gave me a great advantage over many of the SROP participants.  I had already been called on to write at a very high level at FAU, and I benefitted from the interdisciplinary background provided by the Honors College.  Rather than panicking when Dr. van Anders insisted that I perform on the graduate level, I began to treat it as a learning experience in all aspects.  My attitude transition really helped me meet others’ expectations throughout the program, and this intensive research experience prepared me well for graduate school.”
            In many other ways as well, Kim has realized that her time at the Honors College has given her a head start on the future.  “Because the Honors College provides such a unique learning environment, I feel that I will continue to have advantages over other graduate students.  Large universities provide research experience, but these students rarely (if ever) form relationships with their professors.  The personal mentoring experience we receive at the Honors College helps to break the stereotype of the cold, indifferent mentor-mentee relationship.  Students need to have more than a lecturer or a boss in their professors.   They need to have real role models that can inspire them through daily interaction.  My lasting relationships with my Honors College professors will serve as the foundation for everything I do in the future by providing me with advice, networking, and encouragement.  I refuse to allow my work to consume me, so I will focus on forming these types of relationships with my graduate school mentors as well as with my future mentees.”
            Kim continues, “The Honors College also provides a distinctive liberal arts education, even in comparison to other liberal arts schools.  My interdisciplinary background, my writing experiences, and my developed critical thinking skills all serve as incredible strengths as a graduate school applicant and, I hope, as a future professor.  Too many research-intensive universities produce cookie-cutter students who are entirely defined by their work.  In contrast, the Honors College forms well-rounded individuals with a multitude of knowledge and skills—allowing us to stand out from the crowd of assembly line college graduates.”  It sounds to us as though Kimberly MacDonald is dancing to the right melody and is destined to perform well in the years ahead.

byline: WHC Student Intern Tamara Howard