Undergraduate research mini story: Abbey Blinkhorn

I was not the typical PURE Award student. Half of my PURE Award overlapped with studying abroad at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia where I took a marketing research class related to my research topic. I’m typically not a type A person, but I learned that a little bit of intentional planning helps me to balance my ambitions with my love of travelling. 

I had no experience with statistics until this year. I proposed my research question to my supervisor, and I could tell he was apprehensive about my lack of experience. I said, “I’m a fast learner, I’m signed up for these courses at Melbourne—give me some resources and I’ll dig in." He thought about it for a few days and agreed to take me on. That leap of faith paid off for us both—I’ve learned so much in such a short period of time! 

Wrapping my PURE Award experience with studying abroad made everything so real in a way that I didn’t anticipate. School days were lectures and studying, but weekends were travels. A friend and I would keep each other accountable. We’d be like, “we’re going to get up at this time, work in a café for two hours, and then head to the beach.” When self-doubt crept in, I’d pause and think, “wait, you’ve always gotten it done.” I learned to trust myself—that even halfway around the world, I could identify what mattered to me and pursue it. It turned out being “not typical” meant I could choose my own adventure, and it made all the difference.”