This summer flew by, and I can’t believe how much I’ve learned through my Laidlaw research project! I set out to explore how Mathematical Utility Values—basically, how useful students think math is for their goals—affect their academic performance. The process was both challenging and exhilarating, and it taught me a lot about research and self-leadership.

My key finding? While students see math as useful for school and careers, this doesn’t necessarily lead to better performance. But I did confirm that higher math anxiety negatively impacts achievement.

At first, I felt overwhelmed by the huge volume of literature on the topic I needed to read and the challenge of learning SPSS from scratch. However, this struggle taught me a lot about myself and the importance of leadership—especially self-leadership. One of the biggest surprises was realizing how important it is to maintain resilience through challenges. Even without a team to lead, I had to step up, make decisions, take initiative, and keep pushing forward when things got tough. This project showed me that self-leadership is just as important as leading others.

Overall, I have greatly enjoyed my time researching and I have discovered I have a real passion for it. Additionally, what made the experience even more rewarding was the kindness and support I received from Dr Aibhín Bray and Emma Berry. Their guidance has made a huge difference, and I’m incredibly grateful for their help throughout my journey.