I was fortunate enough to intern at VL² as a research assistant this semester under Dr. Diane Clark. She is the greatest mentor. It has been so great that I signed on for another semester. Research assistants/interns do actual hands-on research. I have spent countless hours at the computer. My internship does not end once I emerge from “the Cave.” (Everyone who works in VL² refers to the spot as the Cave.) After hours are sometimes spent reading up on past and current research which applies to the various projects going on in VL².

Yes, research is a lot of work, but there is never a dull moment. There is always a discrepancy in data. Papers disappear and reappear and disappear. The computers decide that it will be fun to stop working or work slower than normal. Finally, research tends to prove us wrong. How often do you receive an assignment that looks and sounds so easy that you could do it in your sleep? I remember the first time I underestimated the amount of work that I thought it would be to feed data into an SPSS file. After all, I had done this in Research Methods in Psychology so many times. It should be a piece of cake, right? WRONG!!! I spent a good hour and 17 minutes trying to figure out where to start and how I was going to start. Ten minutes after finding my place, I was done. Looks are deceiving.

If you dare to seek us out, the Cave is on the second floor of the HMB, conveniently located in between the English department offices. Don’t feel like walking to the Cave? Check out the website, http://vl2.gallaudet.edu/. It may sound dark and hidden, but it's quite cozy and the staff is friendly! :)