Exciting Beginnings: Bon Pham's Research Internship
Sean Otto and Bon Pham
Bon Pham, a Social Science student who graduated last fall, has embarked on a fascinating research internship under the guidance of history professor Sean Otto. This opportunity is part of L'expérience qui fait la différence, a social innovation project in collaboration with the Association pour la recherche au collégial (ARC) and the Centre de transfert pour la réussite éducative du Québec (CTREQ), of which Champlain-St. Lawrence is a partner. Designed to develop research skills in students from social sciences, humanities, arts, and literature programs, the initiative combines hands-on internships with an annual colloquium to offer invaluable, practical research experiences.
Bon’s internship ties directly into the newly introduced Social Science course, Getting Involved, the first of its kind at Cégep Champlain-St. Lawrence. This course trains future community volunteers and leaders, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to contribute to the social and cultural enrichment of their communities as well as their own.
Grounded in collaboration with local organizations, the course also wants to foster research-informed practices in social leadership and volunteering. In this spirit, Bon is diving into scientific and grey literature on volunteering from different social science perspectives, to identify best practices for engaging youth. In addition to doing this literature review, she also contributed to the design of a fully bilingual survey to explore the social and volunteer involvement of St. Lawrence students and has started collecting data. Insights from this research will support the co-development of a student volunteer program, featuring resources like a guide, training modules, and evaluation tools.
Thomas Welham and Bon Pham
Bon collaborates closely with Thomas Welham, who teaches the course, to align the research with the course’s objectives. Bon brings to this internship not only the solid methodological training and critical thinking skills she has developed in her social sciences studies but also her own experience in social involvement. She has been actively involved in multiple clubs and initiatives, such as the Inclusion Taskforce, the Hydroponics Club, over which she presided, and the Health and Wellness Committee. As she points out, she is not only excited to dive more deeply into the research, but also to see its practical applications and benefits for the students!
Stay tuned for updates on Bon’s progress as her internship unfolds—we can’t wait to share her achievements and the highlights of her report in the coming months!