Lauren Ostdiek
Major: Economics and Education, Schooling, and Society
Research Location: Santiago, Chile
Lauren spent the summer at Saint George's College, a K-12 school in Santiago, doing ethnographic research. She situated her work in the historical context of the school and Chile, which led her to hone in on questions regarding student-student interactions and teacher facilitation of integration. She observed key anecdotal evidence to support the value of students' sense of belonging, facilitated by teachers, in successful integration.
Lauren says, "This experience allowed me to take on my own interests, develop a plan to research a complex topic, and build my confidence in doing so. I learned what it is like to do hands-on research in the social science field and built out my understanding of the literature around mechanisms for educational equality, which I will continue to build upon in my senior thesis."