Brooklyn Bennett, Junior, English

Brooklyn Bennett, Junior, English:

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Brooklyn Image

What do you research?
My research is focused on a performance art troupe called Flying Words Project and their ability to spread social awareness through their poetic performances.

How do you conduct your research?
My research comes through understanding the impact of visual art performance, specifically through Flying Words Project’s bilingual ability to spread awareness on social issues.

What do you enjoy most about research?
I enjoy the opportunity to not only further my own understanding of a topic, but also to share my research with other professionals in my field.

What was one of the biggest challenges you have encountered in the process of research? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge in research like mine is the abundance of literary materials that are available and the small amount of time, specifically in the SURE program, in which I must read them. My research requires that I gain an understanding through reading, and it was hard to choose which works to read and which to leave for another project. I learned to focus my attention on anthologies, as they allow me to discover scholarly voices in more compact texts.

How do you think you have grown as a student and/or as a professional as a result of research? What would you tell a friend who would like to become involved in research?
I have grown as a student in many ways. I find myself more capable of being immersed in a text or more able to scour academia for important information without getting caught up in jargon. This ability may seem small, but as a student of literature, I am aware these abilities are instrumental in completing my degree and achieving my future goals.
I would tell a friend that just the experience of working with a professional in your field of study is well worth the time and effort required in a research program.

What are the benefits of undergraduate research? What are the commitments involved in undergraduate research?
The benefits of undergraduate research are the confidence, experience, and knowledge you gain by completing and presenting your research.
The commitments of undergraduate research vary, but my own commitment was to a personal discovery of my ability to read, understand, and connect to the subject at hand. I committed myself to discovering the usefulness of performance art and protest poetry within society, and I will have endless opportunities to share and present my findings because of the SURE program and my mentor.