RA Video Testimonials Meet Our Research Assistants: Spotlights & Reflections Discover what it’s like to be an RA in Project DUAL through video spotlights and personal reflections from our team. RA Spotlight Series Mehreen Ali Summer 2026 • English Research Assistant Mehreen, a Finance major at McCombs School of Business, shares her career plans, saying she hopes to become a physician; however, she is also interested in pursuing an MBA after graduation. She highlights the importance of understanding both business and medicine, while also offering advice to students interested in McCombs or considering an internal transfer. In Project DUAL, she coordinates shifts for RAs in the Daily Calls team. She shares that her favorite part of Project DUAL has been the connections she has made and discusses the skills she has developed, including time management, communication, and balancing the technical and human sides of research. Read more about Mahreen’s experience on LinkedIn or Instagram. Althea Mendoza Spring 2026 • English Research Assistant Althea, a Human Development Family Sciences major, shares her career plans, saying she will pursue a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Texas at San Antonio after graduation. She talks about discovering Project DUAL and explains her role reviewing manuscripts on adolescent research. She also talks about being an honors student, completing her thesis, and presenting her research at the College of Natural Sciences’ Undergraduate Research Forum. Read more about Althea’s experience on Instagram Read more about Althea’s experience on LinkedIn Yvonne Jackson Spring 2026 • English Research Assistant Yvonne, a Geography major with a minor in Urban Studies, shares her career plans, saying she hopes to secure a full-time role in GIS or urban studies after graduation. She talks about discovering Project DUAL through Workday and explains her work in data cleaning, participant response verification, and geocoding. She explains that the flexibility of the role helped her balance being a full-time student while also managing two campus jobs and responsibilities. She shares that the project broadened her understanding of research on an administrative level, and helped her develop Excel skills, improve her attention to detail, and strengthen her ability to notice small inconsistencies in large datasets. Read more about Yvonne’s experience on Instagram Read more about Yvonne’s experience on LinkedIn Marianna Torres Spring 2026 • Spanish Research Assistant Marianna, double-majoring in Psychology and Economics, shares her path as an international student, McCombs transfer application preparation, and growing up in Honduras. She talks about discovering the project through a class presentation and feeling personally connected to the research because of her experience as a language broker for her grandparents. In Project DUAL, she is the Speech Emotion Recognition (SER) Head RA, where she coordinates assignments for RAs in her team and works closely with the programmers to improve the platform. She shares how this role helped her develop new technical skills while building on her precision, patience, and attention to detail. Read more about Marianna’s experience on Instagram Read more about Marianna’s experience on LinkedIn Blessing Okotie Spring 2026 • English Research Assistant Blessing, an HDFS major with a minor in Professional Sales and Business Development, shares her experience moving from Nigeria to the U.S. and finding her path at UT Austin. She talks about discovering Project DUAL through an in-class presentation, and how she enjoys connecting with people of different roles and majors in the project. She describes her experience as “fascinating,” especially as she became someone others can rely on while balancing school, IBM internships, and other commitments. The project strengthened her time management and communication skills, shifted her view of research to be more collaborative and people-focused, and helped shift her career direction from the pre-PA path. Read more about Blessing’s experience on LinkedIn Read more about Blessing’s experience on Instagram Noah Diaz Spring 2026 • English Research Assistant Psychology major Noah shares his path from completing an associate’s degree through an early college program in the Rio Grande Valley to getting involved in multiple research opportunities at UT Austin. He talks about his sociology minor and how it helps him think about systems and identity, and how these shape the way he understands others. In Project DUAL, he has worked as an interviewer, mentor, and discussion leader. He shares how these roles helped him build organization, communication, and leadership skills, and how they connect to his goal of pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. Read more about Noah’s experience on Instagram Read more about Noah’s experience on LinkedIn Alexa Frias Spring 2026 • Spanish Research Assistant Psychology major Alexa reflects on her experience in Project DUAL and how it helped her explore research. She talks about working in multiple roles within the project, and gained skills in communication, organization, and collaboration. She shares how the project helped her feel more connected to the UT community and broadened her understanding of how much teamwork and behind-the-scenes work research involves. Outside the lab, she mentors incoming Liberal Arts Honors students, volunteers as a reading buddy for elementary students, and participates in a student organization focused on reducing loneliness on campus. She encourages future RAs to stay curious, ask questions, and take advantage of the opportunities that research offers. Read more about Alexa’s experience on Instagram Read more about Alexa’s experience on LinkedIn Emma Xiao Fall 2025 • English Research Assistant Business Analytics major Emma reflects on her 3+ years in the Project, where she explored multiple roles, starting on Daily Surveys, moving into Literature Review, and eventually leading the Social Media team. She shares how the Project taught her that research is more than data collection. It’s teamwork, communication, and the behind-the-scenes work that keeps everything running. Emma talks about how these experiences helped her grow in leadership and time management while preparing for medical school. She also shares how she found community within the lab, balances everything through swimming, and offers advice to future RAs and aspiring medical students about prioritizing what matters, avoiding burnout, and choosing work they genuinely care about. Read more about Emma’s experience on Instagram Read more about Emma’s experience on LinkedIn Danette Hidalgo Fall 2025 • Spanish Research Assistant Psychology major Danette shares her experience in the Project, from becoming a transcription team lead to being an afterschool program coordinator. She shares about how the project shaped her confidence, leadership, and view of research, and how it shaped her interest in clinical social work. Danette also reflects on giving back to bilingual communities, gaining public speaking skills, and offers advice for future RAs considering the project. Read more about Danette’s experience on Instagram Watch some highlights from Danette’s interview on Instagram Read more about Danette’s experience on LinkedIn Katherine Zubiaur Fall 2025 • Spanish Research Assistant Senior psychology major Katherine shares her experience working in two research labs, including Project DUAL. In this project, her roles consist of data cleaning and coding on the transcription team and coordinating presentation reminders, improving her communication, organization, and data skills. Her experiences also shaped her goal to pursue a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology. Read more about Katherine’s experience on Instagram Watch some highlights from Katherine’s interview on Instagram Read more about Katherine’s experience on LinkedIn Jimena Balderas-Berg Fall 2025 • Spanish Research Assistant Jimena reflects on being chosen as the first RA of the Month and how asking questions, doing detailed transcription work, and connecting with the Project DUAL community helped her strengthen her attention to detail and time-management skills while balancing another lab. Read more about Jimena’s experience on Instagram Watch some highlights from Jimena’s interview on Instagram Read more about Jimena’s experience on LinkedIn
