My EDI internship in the School of Psychology, ran from June to August 2025, and involved conducting an evaluation of Aurora: Women’s Leadership Development Programme which has been delivered at the University of Aberdeen since 2013 with over 100 delegates having particpated. The aim of the programme is to address women’s underrepresentation in leadership roles in higher education. This was a piece of work following on from a quantitative analysis conducted within the school in 2024 by Abigail Flores, as part of her MSc thesis project. Abigail evaluated the programme by surveying participants. The results found that participants did not experience Aurora's intended benefits.
This present study aimed to collect qualitative data through the delivery of focus groups and subsequent analysis of the focus group transcripts. My findings were reported to the university’s staff development team together with my recommendations for improvement.
The experience has been both fun and challenging, however, it has undeniably left me better off in terms of my academic capabilities. Firstly, it has made me more aware of the personal challenges I encounter when working independently on large projects, and has given me the opportunity to experiment with self-discipline tactics and level up my organisation skills.
Secondly, the idea of completing a thesis now feels much more manageable – writing a 5,000+ word report felt daunting given I had never written anything longer than 2,500 words before. Having now muddled through bit by bit and completed it, I have concrete proof that I can achieve that kind of task. I think this will really help me maintain a confident mindset when it comes to my thesis project and will help me counter my tendency to be pushed into procrastination by pessimistic thoughts.
Lastly, the fact that this was real research with the potential to affect the world and people around me made it truly meaningful and engaging. I thank the psychology department for the experience and my supervisor Linda Engles for guiding me through it.
Skye is currently in their 3rd year of studies at the University of Aberdeen.
