Can we shape aspirations in our community?
Conducting research with a prominent LSE academic changed the way Eileen Gbagbo felt about her academic goals.
“I was really interested in the project that Dr Imaobong Umoren was doing around Black female political participation. As someone from an underrepresented community, working alongside a successful Black woman in academia was very inspiring,” she says.
“The experience helped me realise that a career in academia could be for me. It also made me more confident about the kind of research I wanted to explore for my thesis at LSE.
Eileen (BSc International Relations 2020) is one of over 20 students and alumni in the last four years to benefit from the Phelan US Centre’s Undergraduate Research Assistantship programme.
The research assistantships, available at the Phelan US Centre and across LSE departments, centres and institutes, are valuable ways for undergraduates to collaborate with a staff member in their research, gain experience of working on a project, and potentially enhance their career prospects by deepening their experience.
A gift can enable LSE students preparing for careers in a post-COVID world to gain professional and practical experience to complement their education and academic development.