With an interest in pursuing a degree in Psychology, Mahisha joined us for a week of work experience in June 2024. At the time, she was a Year 12 student (now in Year 13) at Nower Hill High School, a school which joined the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones study in 2023. During her time with us, Mahisha learnt about public engagement in research including interviewing academics, designing promotional materials and conducting a SCAMP social media takeover) as well as the research process and academic writing. Along with fellow work experience students, Mahisha also produced and narrated an animated video (using Lego) and attended various Imperial events. At the end of her week with us, we asked Mahisha to write about her experience so we can continue to improve our work experience programmes and learn through young people’s lived experiences. Read about her week with us in her own words:
If I had to choose one word to describe my experience at SCAMP and the Mohn Centre this past week it would be eye-opening. I am currently in year 12 and taking A-Level Maths, Psychology and Business. I aspire to study Psychology at university and so, after taking part in the SCAMP data collection, I decided to enquire about work experience with SCAMP as I was particularly interested in mental health and factors that could potentially affect our wellbeing. Having no prior experience in research, I was quite anxious and unsure as to what I should expect from this week. Having said that, this has been one of the most engaging and educational weeks ever. The placement was a journey in terms of all the tasks we were given the chance to carry out. The opportunities we were given this week were vast and being able to not only investigate research but also have the chance to work creatively had a huge impact on me.
We started by learning about ADR UK and their Linked Local Data project. I found it interesting to see the ways our data is used to improve society. We were given a brief to create a video explaining to 12-year-olds what administrative data is, so we devised a plan to create a Lego stop- motion. Creating the video was by far my favourite activity of the week as it allowed us to harness our creativity and helped me understand administrative data better, as I was unaware what it actually meant at the start of the week. I found it so rewarding to be able to almost act as a bridge for young people to learn about what happens with their data and how it is used. I love the fact that I was able to learn about the Linked Local Data Project, as I am now able to think about times in which data may have been collected from me and how they could be linked together.
During this work placement, we were able to interview Dr Dougal Hargreaves. This was an incredible experience as I discovered his experience of working in paediatrics and neonatal intensive care units abroad. Hearing how he dealt with issues such as language barriers was very inspirational. The ability to have a conversation with him about his experiences with choosing the pathway he went down, and university applications really aided me in further solidifying my own decisions for my future as I was able to hear about research that he was interested in exploring such as how absenteeism links to child mental health. This made it clear to me that there are multiple pathways that I can take to reach my goals in life. I especially enjoyed the format of the interview as I was able to formulate my own questions that I was interested in hearing the answers to which made the interview feel more relaxed and conversational. It helped me feel more confident and really improved my communication skills, as I had initially felt nervous about interviewing an expert. However, the whole experience allowed me to figure out how to convey my thoughts clearly and work on my confidence.
Being able to attend the Mohn Mingle was also another highlight of my week. The Mingle allowed me to hear about other research projects taking place in the Mohn Centre. Being able to learn from other professionals was fascinating, as I was not limited to hearing about projects only within the SCAMP study but was given the chance to broaden my knowledge by hearing from academics from different fields, and how all of them interconnect. The Mohn Mingle was also an opportunity for me to meet and converse with staff members who I otherwise would not have met. This permitted me to ask questions related to their jobs, creating further connections and come across potential pathways I could explore in the future.
Although we had many creative and fun tasks, we also were given the opportunity to conduct a literature review on the topic of BMI and social media usage. We learnt how to find related articles across different academic journals and how to decrease the pool of articles that would appear in our search. Although reading through some of the articles was quite challenging due to how academic they were, as time went on I found it easier to spot information that would be useful to me and the topic I was given.
Overall, this week has been a wonderful opportunity to expand and improve my skills whilst interacting with a wide range of people. Meeting all the lovely staff was a highlight, as I felt very welcomed and having the opportunity to meet not only researchers, but other supporting staff helped me majorly increase my confidence. I would love to be able to come back as it was not just a placement, it was a learning experience.