This week I concluded some of my data analysis of the research project that I have been doing with the ICWA Law Center. As I have now finished with the data collection, I started having conversations with some of the Law Center’s attorneys about what I have found and their impressions of these results.
After a long conversation on Friday, one of the attorneys said something to me that I found extremely validating. She said that even though my results didn’t truly say something that she hadn’t felt anecdotally, she found tremendous value in being able to point to them to confirm previously identified issues. I had been worried about whether my work would actually be helpful to the Law Center and this was validation that what I was doing was not insignificant, which was a great way to end the week and begin the conclusion of my internship.
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It’s great that your work provided evidence for the attorneys to point to! While working with a nonprofit, I learned how important it was to be able to reference trends and data analysis in grant-writing. I’m sure that your findings have not only helped in a formal capacity, but has also validated their beliefs.
I felt the same way with my project. I also wasn’t sure whether the work I was doing would be impactful and helpful for the lab, but I soon realized that my role was important and that my data was valuable. Glad to see I was not the only one going through this conflict!