Learn more about Brittany Spinner, a graduate student in the Prevention Science program at the College of Education
Quick Facts
Hometown: Traverse City, Michigan
What are you studying? I am currently a MS student in Prevention Science with a Specialization in Educational Data Science
Favorite books or movies: Books: Horse by Geraldine Brooks, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Du Bois, Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde Movies: Better Days, Legends of the Fall, The Lost Boys, Remember the Titans, Slumdog Millionaire
Hobbies: Painting, collecting vintage clothes, reading, morel mushroom hunting.
Favorite place in Eugene: Taqueria El Trenecito (Eugene adjacent), UO Campus, Founded Vintage, and Spencer Butte Park
Why did you choose UO and/or your program or major?
I sought out UO because of their Prevention Science program and because it was a top ranked research institution J. Shout out to Dr. C.J. Pascoe for meeting with me and helping me navigate my interests into a hybrid of applied science, prevention science, and research methods and steering me toward the Prevention Science programs at the UO.
What is your most memorable experience at the College of Education?
A favorite of mine is the Graduate Research Forum. Even if you don’t participate, go, and listen to the three-minute thesis of other students and what they’re doing. It will both blow your mind and inspire you!
What are your plans after graduation?
Post-graduation, I am honored and grateful to have the opportunity to begin my PhD program in Quantitative Research Methods in Education (QRME) at the University of Oregon in Fall 2023, under the mentorship of the esteemed Dr. David Liebowitz.
What impact do you hope to make in your future career?
I hope to improve upon research methodology, make equitable change, and promote social justice within institutions that continually fail certain groups of people.
Do you have any advice for prospective students?
You belong here. You are enough. As a first-generation college student and a teen mom (some ten+ years ago now) this was not an expectation of me, it was and is my dream. And I never gave up on it no matter what. Never stop asking [literally everyone] questions or applying for every opportunity to get you closer to where you want to be. It’s ok to make mistakes and get a little lost along the way, but once you find your footing, don’t stop going until you get there. Let your “failures” motivate you. Go on! Email that professor whose work you admire. You’re not bugging them! Connect with other students! Oh, and don’t ever take your name off a waitlist, sometimes you might just get in ;)
Brittany is a 2022-23 College of Education Scholarship fund recipient.