OUR NEXT FEW BLOG POSTS WILL INTRODUCE OUR TEAM OF RESEARCH ASSISTANTS. WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR THEM TO BE A PART OF OUR TEAM.
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Hello all! My name is Megan Crowley and I am a second year full-time Master of Social Work Student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am a Direct Practice concentration also. I am absolutely thrilled to be working in the Living F.R.E.E. Lab this semester with Dr. Goode and my fellow colleagues! I am going to tell you a little bit about myself in this post and why I am interested in working as a research assistant.
The one thing I should probably tell you all is I have a rare genetic disease called Pompe. Due to Pompe, I cannot eat food normally. I have what is called a GTube. This is important because I have never paid much attention to food, calories, or whether something was healthy or unhealthy. I don’t know much about food. But this part of my story.
The first time I remember seeing anything having to do with eating was in season 4, episode 8 of Full House—the one where DJ struggles with an eating disorder. At the time, all I could think was how beautiful and funny DJ was—why was she trying to lose weight? It quickly disappeared and I went on with my life and forgot about it. The next instance I remember is in middle school health class, where you learn about healthy foods and body image. However, I didn’t pay much attention because it didn’t affect me.
I didn’t give food or body image a second thought until my first year at UNC; we were learning about the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). I was so intrigued by it. That’s where my interest really began. Once COVID-19 hit I was sent home to finish my first year of grad school. I was feeling incredibly down. Then I received an email saying that Dr. Goode was looking for a research assistant. I thought “sure, why not? I can better myself while at home!” So, I applied without knowing exactly what kind of research I would be doing for and with her. Upon our initial interview, I learned that we would be doing a research project about binge eating in Black women. What a perfect match?! I was so excited!
I hope you enjoyed this and come back in two weeks to meet another one or Dr. Goode’s research assistants! Have a great week!
#GoHeels
