Research Rookies Student Profiles
Name: Lauren Nale
Cohort: Sophomore/Transfer Research Rookie
Major: Rehabilitation Services
Hometown: New Lenox, Illinois
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniel Boutin
Experience can be a great teacher and guide. For Lauren Nale, the experiences she had senior year through an anatomy class pointed her in the direction of the medical field that she has been following ever since. Originally, Lauren thought she wanted to become a nurse, but through her anatomy class senior year of high school she had the opportunity to shadow different medical personnel at a hospital three days a week. While observing the physical therapy unit, Lauren started working with an occupational therapist and really enjoyed it. The therapist even said to her, “You seem like the kind of person that people would like to work with.” And that statement was the decisive factor.
Lauren is well aware of the importance of research in the medical field, which is why she decided to get involved in the Research Rookies program. For the project she is studying a federal program known as the Vocational Rehabilitation Program that provides many services to help people with disabilities find work. There are twenty-two services within the Vocational Rehabilitation Program for people with hearing loss, and these will be the focus of the study. With data from over 20,000 participants, Lauren will be analyzing the twenty-two different services to assess and predict which are most beneficial to people suffering from hearing loss.
Between Research Rookies, the Honors Program, the Honors Student Association, and tutoring, Lauren is working hard to broaden her experiences and prepare for her future career. All of these programs have helped her make connections and gain knowledge that will help her throughout her life. They have inspired her to continue with research and working with people, as she is already thinking about her next endeavor during which she would like to work with handicapped accessibility on campus and throughout the community.
Lauren on what being a Research Rookie means: “Being a Research Rookie means being curious and conscientious.”