(profiled in 2019) Kim Mejia ’19 chose a senior project looking at the effects of stereotypes on spontaneous speech in bilingual students. Bilingual students’ capacity to use a majority language as well as their heritage language sometimes isolates them from the communities that they see themselves a part of. By examining stereotypes that make bilinguals doubt their heritage language use and ability to belong, she hopes to see how their use and general feelings about language are affected. She hopes to help uncover the psychological,linguistic, and social implications of stereotypes within the Hispanic community at Lehigh and beyond.
Her favorite part of her project is working with students, as "The creativity and spontaneity they bring to my project keeps me inspired. I really enjoy hearing from my fellow students and listening to them about the struggles and triumphs they face as bilingual college students. It constantly renews my passion in research and it makes me look forward to future work."
Finally, she has the following advice for other students in the major: "My advice would be to think outside the box. That might not sound like a lot, but as someone who struggled quite a bit to find a project, it can mean a lot. The amazing thing about the Cog Sci major is the liberty and opportunity we have to pull from different disciplines to ask new and intriguing questions. Take all that as a challenge to test your boundaries and explore new and different areas of Cognitive Science."