Student Name: Nirmaliz Colón- Acosta
Current Degree/Program: PhD Cognitive Sciences in Education
Undergrad University: University of South Florida
Hometown: Salinas, Puerto Rico
What inspired you to pursue a graduate/doctoral degree in Cognitive Science?
It was a combination of things, I had just finished my BA and started working on a small research team as a research assistant for a nonprofit and my boss, who is now one of my mentors, asked me what I wanted to do and my response was, "everything you do". I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to be yet, realizing now that what I wanted just didn't exist at the time, but I knew it had something to do with wanting to know how kids learned and something to do with how they could learn with video games. The Cognitive Science program offered me an opportunity to blend the two basic interests. As I worked through my masters I became more focused on research for game design and that led me to pursue my doctorate.
What class did you enjoy most in the COG program?
Advanced Design of Educational Games with Dr. Nathan Holbert, it was the course that inspired the game I developed for my dissertation and ultimately fueled my passion for games design research.
What's the most exciting project you're working on right now?
My dissertation is my biggest project right now and I was thankful to be able to conduct the full study in a school in my hometown of Puerto Rico. Now, I'm in my final semester so I'm just pushing through and trying to prepare for my defense (which is super exciting!).
What advice do you give to other graduate students, or potential graduate students?
I always tell any student who asks that this experience requires an open-mind. It's okay to come into a graduate program and not know exactly what you want to "be" when you're finished, but I will say you need to have some kind of idea of what you are interested in. It's not just about the courses, it's about the work you put in outside of class and the time you make to connect with people who are doing the work you care about someday possibly doing. I learned more by applying knowledge and experiences from class to a lab I was volunteering in, by doing my own projects even when I didn't know exactly what I was doing or by submitting a paper or poster to a conference. Getting out there and finding a mentor or faculty member who will push you to get out of your comfort zone and share opportunities with you so you can become better at the thing you are trying to achieve.