In the final week, I felt more capable of independently taking a research question from an ambiguous starting point to a useful output. Across my LIA project, I contributed to qualitative AI analysis, digital finance literature research, country and market research, programme testing, donor due diligence, partnership research, and quantitative analysis of programme outcomes. I am proud of how my role evolved from completing individual research tasks to thinking about methodology, quality, and strategic implications of my findings.
Looking back, I could have created a stronger system for documenting my research processes from the beginning. Because I worked across so many projects, some of my learning was implicit rather than formally recorded. Having a clearer record of how I approached different types of research would have made it easier to compare methods and identify what worked best.
The values of curious, determined, and good were the values I saw most consistently across the six weeks. I became more comfortable questioning assumptions, pushing through ambiguous problems, and considering the consequences of my work for others. Throughout the LIA, I also saw a development in judgment. I became more comfortable making decisions while recognizing when I needed to question an assumption or seek mentorship. Lastly, I developed my process and performance values through managing complex research tasks and turning large amounts of information into concise and actionable findings.
My LIA changed how I think about ethical research. I initially understood ethical engagement primarily as being accurate and responsible with information. I see how ethical research is important in a broader context when understanding who is represented in the data, whose experiences may be missing, how methodological choices shape findings, and how those findings may affect decisions. Whether I was analyzing survey responses, evaluating a potential partner, or testing programme materials, I had to consider the consequences of how I interpreted and communicated information.
Going forward, I want to continue developing ethical leadership by being both faster and more rigorous. This includes using the skills I have gained to execute tasks confidently and quickly while slowing down for detail-oriented processes.
