Hi there! I'm an incoming 3rd year BSc Psychology student at Durham University.
The question "why does sad music help us feel better sometimes?" sums up my first year research project. I investigated how international students interact with music to make themselves feel better in different contexts. It is important to investigate cross-culturally as our world becomes more globalised. Moreover, I believe music can transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, as it seems to have such a profound effect on everyone, regardless of where they’re from. Not only may music connect us all, but it can also connect us with ourselves.
For my Leadership-in Action I worked on Body & Soul Charity's You Are Not Alone (YANA) research project: Evaluating the longitudinal effectiveness of Group Dialectic Behavioural Therapy and ongoing trauma-informed community support for young people aged 16-35 at high risk of suicide. I formed a data management framework to automate data entry with R and made the corresponding tutorials for research volunteers.
Ultimately, my involvement in mental health research builds onto my future career aspirations; I aim to be a Clinical Psychologist while encouraging the integration of arts and culture into mental health interventions.
I'm deeply interested in the interdisciplinary nature of music and psychology; however, I’m also excited to hear how other academic disciplines may interact and merge. Likewise, I enjoy multiple hobbies like playing the piano and ukulele, singing, cooking, crocheting, and reading. I think being a nerd about your interests is really cool, so if you’re like-minded, I’d love to chat with you!