PSYCHOLOGY 498 TAKEAWAYS 1

The Knowledge and Skills that I have

Gained from Enrolling in Psychology 498

Lauren Crouse

University of South Carolina

PSYCHOLOGY 498 TAKEAWAYS 2

Junior year in college is a time where one truly matures not only as an individual, but also

as a scholar. This past semester, I decided to partake in research to further my studies outside of

the classroom and advance my skillset. The interactions that I have had and the skills that I have

gained during my time here have been invaluable. Although Dr. Wilson and Allison Sweeney

were my explicit mentors for the Magellan Grant proposal that I composed, I have been guided

and taught by many of the Project FIT staff members. I was able to gain connections and learn

new skills by participating in data entry, the intervention team, and recruitment team.

The premise of this research has benefited me in my academic endeavors in other classes

I am enrolled in this semester as well. I was able to get a preview of a skinfold caliper when the

measurement team measured my subscapular site before group one night; this was advantageous

for me in my Exercise Science 530 Laboratory class when we performed the body composition

lab with the same calipers. I became proficient in finding research articles and reviewing

literature for my Magellan Grant which facilitated the process of writing my lab reports. When

the nutrition unit was covered in my Exercise Science 530 lecture, I had prior knowledge of

national recommendations from the mini project that I devised for one of the group interventions.

That same project also brought to my attention my areas of weakness that I need to improve

upon in regards to junk food and my current borderline sedentary lifestyle.

I find myself seeking out ways to live a healthier lifestyle and transferring the values that

Project FIT enriches in the lives of its participants in my own life as well as those who are close

to me. I have always been a proponent for healthy, nutritious meals, but I was able to gain more

knowledge about why it is so important and ways to achieve goals with the help of family

members. I am currently working on a project that will provide examples of healthy meals for

families to make over the holidays. I will also include local activities that families can do
PSYCHOLOGY 498 TAKEAWAYS 3

together in order for the families to build stronger relationships. I decided to add on Psychology

as my minor on top of my Exercise Science major because the mind and social aspects interest

me. With this experience, I was able to witness first-hand the progress of the child and parent in

regards to attitude, fitness, and family relationships.

Project FIT gave me the opportunity to apply for a Magellan grant with the school. I

decided at the very start of my involvement that I was determined to get the most out of my

experience by becoming an active volunteer. I built on the Project FIT foundation and came up

with a research question that I could do for a Magellan grant. For over one month, I collaborated

closely with my mentors via meetings, background research, emails, and phone calls in order to

prepare a well-thought out proposal titled: “Emotional and Tangible Parental Support and

Transmitted Parental Values Influences on Youth Physical Activity, Diet, and BMI.” I

researched countless scholarly articles in order to have a better understanding of the topic. If I

am chosen as a recipient for the grant, the research project will assess how emotional and

tangible parental support and transmitted parental values influence an African American

adolescent’s physical activity, diet, and BMI.

With my different roles in Project FIT, I have acquired several new skills to add to my

resume. I was able to build relationships with the siblings of the families when I did child care on

group nights. I took advantage of that time to try to be a positive influence on the siblings and

promote encouraging attitudes so that they could show support for their family members who are

participating in Project FIT. The snacks that were offered gave me the opportunity to attempt to

influence their eating preferences by feeding them not only the snacks, but also fun facts about

healthy food to try to steer them way from junk food all of the time. The Project Director, Claire

Miller, has given me advice that will benefit me in the real world once I graduate. She has taught
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me how to behave and dress professionally in the workplace. She has been an outstanding role

model in every aspect, especially as a leader for the Project FIT team. I have learned through

observation to maintain composure when things do not go as smoothly as planned and to find

solutions instead of finding who is to blame. I have appreciated all of the assignments that she

thought about for me so that I could fulfill my requirements for the course. She truly cared about

my progress in this advanced independent study and took advantage of every instance that she

could to teach me valuable life lessons. I started out solely being a member of the Intervention

Team, but then branched out to help with data entry and recruitment of families for the next

cohort. I have never used the Microsoft Access program that Project FIT uses for data entry, so

Mary Hoover introduced me to that software when I helped with data entry. I will be attending a

recruitment event this upcoming weekend which will expand my recruiting capabilities beyond

my current position of making phone calls to families to schedule welcome visits. When I was

getting trained with Liz, I was successful in scheduling a family for a welcome visit and

solidifying their interest in the program for the last cohort. I could not have done it without Liz

giving me pointers during the training session. Phone calls are going to be a large aspect in my

future career, especially with the growth of technology use, so this training helped to strengthen

my communication skills that will be vital to my success in the healthcare field.

This experience will allow me to offer better advice to my patients’ parents in my future

physician assistant career in regards to how to foster improved lifestyles for their children. It will

also enable me to connect with my patients on a more personal level by motivating and enriching

them since I would fully understand the barriers that some of them may face from the

information that I read for my Magellan Grant research proposal. Since I have been working with

the intervention team for Project FIT, I have gained greater knowledge on the psychological
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perspective of the substantial obesity issue that the United States is facing. I am an advocate for

healthy living and professional advancement and Project FIT has helped me to learn more ways

to share my passions. I am looking forward to continuing my journey in research with Project

FIT next semester in addition to taking on a new role in the stress lab.