The Intern Diaries: Samantha Angell

Samantha is a senior psychology and sociology major from Watertown, WI. She is conducting research this summer in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Virginia as part of her involvement with the McNair Scholars Program. She is one of four Ripon College students sharing their stories of research internships and jobs over the course of this summer.

A Meeting with Stan Trent

Samantha Angell

This week, the rest of the interns and I were invited to a “Stan Trent” workshop, which is basically an informal get-together with one of UVA’s faculty members. I was unsure of what to expect, as the program coordinators gave us very little direction on what was going to go on during the workshop. It turned out to be one of the most meaningful experiences I expect I will have while here.

Stan Trent is an average looking guy with glasses who dresses in khaki shorts and sandals. It’s clear he loves humor, as he often cracked jokes as he introduced himself and his background story. He seems much like any other professor, someone you might expect to meet while walking around the Ripon campus. But he told us stories about a difficult youth, a place where many kids he knew did not make it out of with graduate school degrees and distinguished careers.

He invited us to talk about our own youth and past experiences, to dig down deep and think about why we wanted to study the things we did. I heard many moving and interesting stories from the other interns; because we are all hear together, it may seem like we are similar people. But we all come from different places and different backgrounds that lends a unique spin to our future goals and plans. I myself am interested in Marital and Family therapy. I’m curious as to why some families “work” and others do not, and I want to help those families who cannot help themselves.

During the workshop, I realized that as a little girl I had friends from many different family backgrounds, some of which were more nurturing than others. Maybe that is why I am pursuing the career I am today.

I would like to thank Professor Trent for sharing his stories and his wisdom during the workshop. It led me to better understand myself and the other interns I am working with this summer.

Keep reading next week for more! Next time, I’ll keep it a little more up-beat!