My third term with the Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health Internship began with the most exciting opportunity I’ve had yet to share the work I’ve done over the past year and a half. Presenting at Conceiving Equity was an incredibly meaningful milestone in my research journey. Preparation for this presentation involved compiling all of the data from the interviews I had done last spring with the students who took “Sex, Power, and Culture” in the Fall 2018 pilot semester. I had to think critically about what the data showed and come to conclusions about what our community could learn from the findings. I organized the information in a poster and then rambled excitedly about the work for an hour to anyone who would listen. Through the course of the evening, it became so clear what the past year and a half of work had meant—the research we have done and will continue to do is important for the future of our university and other universities nationwide. Initially, I had anticipated primarily answering questions posed out of courtesy by friends and acquaintances, but the vast majority of people I talked to were community members I had never met who had a genuine interest in our work. It was immensely satisfying to understand that our study had meaning beyond just our research team; community members from all disciplines and backgrounds took an interest. Furthermore, I gained a sense of confidence in my role in the study; I am knowledgeable and capable enough to speak about my research to community members and professionals in related fields.
I am eager to continue on to the next phase of our work: dissemination. Having already introduced our work at three presentations—APHA 2019, NWSA 2019, and Conceiving Equity—we have begun writing sections of papers we intend to publish. Moreover, in light of the APHA 2020 theme of violence prevention, I will be spearheading our submission to present at this fourth conference. I am excited to move forward in the research process with a renewed sense of validation that this work is vital to progressing our understanding of sexual violence prevention.