Course Reflection

     Throughout the semester, I had many ups and downs.  Deciding the topic of my research, developing my main goals and finding the people to take the survey, were some of the most difficult things I had to deal with. The fact that my research was very specific made everything more complicated and harder to achieve. However, since it was something that I’m passionate about, I found ways to persevere and finally get the results I aimed for. It was not an easy task, but how did I manage to finish it?
 

     I definitely have to give credit to how Professor Longhany taught the course in a way that I felt liberty when doing my research. This I believe, was the one thing that really let me engage and enjoy my paper. To have the opportunity to work on something that is of your interest, and that could be developed even after the course ends, makes everything seem totally worth the time and effort. If other classes were taught in such a way that students could completely engage in what they are interested in, probably more students would do better and get more out of their courses instead of simply aiming to pass the class and get a good grade. All of the TED talk videos, readings and discussions we had in class, were interesting and they stimulated our critical thinking skills which translated into our work on the research paper.

 

     Since my research is about LGBTQ health disparities, a very specific topic, I had a hard time developing and trying to find the results I was aiming for. However, thanks to Professor Longhany and Dr. Boardman, UCF’s College of Medicine professor, I found ways to overcome the issues that I faced throughout the whole process. I tried to contact different LGBTQ groups and clubs in order to ask them to take my survey, but sadly none of them responded the way I desired. I lost hope in my research for some time since I couldn’t find a way to get the data I needed.  After discussing the issue with Professor Longhany, he recommended that I posted my survey on reddit.com. Thanks to that advice, from having no one taking my survey, a total of 67 people took it, and they even gave me advice on how to make it better. I received the data I needed in order to have a successful paper, and the results were simply overwhelming. My motivation returned completely, and after receiving such great feedback I learned a lot on how to make an effective survey in order to get the results desired.

     At the end of this course I realized that I learned more than I thought I would ever do. The way the class was developed and how everyone had the opportunity to work on what they thought was interesting was extremely rewarding. The fact that I could someday publish my research or even complete in one of UCF’s research forums, drives my motivation to keep working on it even after the semester is over. I really enjoyed working on my research project, and hopefully it will be of use to professionals someday in order to end LGBTQ health disparities and finally have equal care provided in healthcare settings.