Student Perspective: Kylie Johnson

I started college as a biology- health science major. After quickly realizing that was not the best course of study for my newly found career aspirations of becoming an emergency preparedness specialist, I transitioned into the College of Business and Technology. I remember my mom’s reaction to me becoming a business student, and even today she still asks if I’m sure I don’t want to be a doctor. For her, and many others, I think it is hard to understand the connection between my future career in public health and my time spent in the business college.

After four years though, I can say with confidence that the College of Business has helped me find many unique opportunities, the most significant being undergraduate research. I have been working on my research for two years. In that time, it evolved from a small community partnership with the local public health department to analyze adult vaccination rates in the area into a much larger national inquiry into the relationship between personal risk perceptions and vaccine adherence.

With the help of my faculty mentor, Dr. Michelle Fleig-Palmer, I have acquired many of the skills that will be demanded of me in my future career. I have learned how to conduct a literature review, design a survey, navigate the Institutional Review Board, recruit participants, analyze data, and how to best present my findings. I think for many research of any kind can be daunting, especially human subjects research. With the guidance of my mentor and incredible amounts of support from the leaders in the College of Business and Technology, the colossal task of conducting my own research project from beginning to end not only became doable, but the highlight of my undergraduate experience.