2022 Outstanding Senior - Kathryn O’Connell
Future Plans: Accepted to Northwestern (ranked 2nd nationally) and Boston University's (ranked 10th nationally) SLP Master's programs.
Select Accomplishments:
- HONORS
- Member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
- Deans list 7 semesters
- PUBLICATIONS
- Keeping Kids Safe: Choosing Safe Adults: Friends & Family Caregiver
- As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern, I was granted to opportunity to create fact sheets for MSU Extension along with the help of my supervisors. This fact sheet contains recommendations for parents when choosing the friends and family caregivers involved in their child's life. Link to fact sheet: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/keeping-kidssafe-choosing-safe-adults-friends-family-caregivers
- As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern, I was granted to opportunity to create fact sheets for MSU Extension along with the help of my supervisors. This fact sheet contains recommendations for parents when choosing the friends and family caregivers involved in their child's life. Link to fact sheet: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/keeping-kidssafe-choosing-safe-adults-friends-family-caregivers
- Keeping Kids Safe: Choosing Safe Adults: External Caregivers
- As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern, I was granted to opportunity to create fact sheets for MSU Extension along with the help of my supervisors. This fact sheet contains recommendations for parents when choosing the external caregivers involved in their child's life. Link to fact sheet: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/keeping-kids-safe-choosingsafe-adults-external-caregivers
- As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern, I was granted to opportunity to create fact sheets for MSU Extension along with the help of my supervisors. This fact sheet contains recommendations for parents when choosing the external caregivers involved in their child's life. Link to fact sheet: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/keeping-kids-safe-choosingsafe-adults-external-caregivers
- Keeping Kids Safe: Texting Safety
- As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern, I was granted to opportunity to create fact sheets for MSU Extension along with the help of my supervisors. This fact sheet helps parents, volunteers, teachers and adults who work with or care for children understand the importance of talking to children about texting and message safety. Link to fact sheet: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/keeping-kidssafe-texting-safety
- As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern, I was granted to opportunity to create fact sheets for MSU Extension along with the help of my supervisors. This fact sheet helps parents, volunteers, teachers and adults who work with or care for children understand the importance of talking to children about texting and message safety. Link to fact sheet: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/keeping-kidssafe-texting-safety
- Keeping kids safe by choosing the adults in your child's life: Friends and family – Part 1
- In the Summer of 2021, I worked with MSU Extension's Child and Family Development team as a Youth Safety & Wellness Intern. With this position, I was granted the opportunity to co-write an article series on how to determine which friends and family members are safe to be around a child with my supervisor Kylie Rymanowicz. Link to article: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/keeping-kids-safe-bychoosing-the-adults-in-your-child-s-life-friends-and-family-part-1
- In the Summer of 2021, I worked with MSU Extension's Child and Family Development team as a Youth Safety & Wellness Intern. With this position, I was granted the opportunity to co-write an article series on how to determine which friends and family members are safe to be around a child with my supervisor Kylie Rymanowicz. Link to article: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/keeping-kids-safe-bychoosing-the-adults-in-your-child-s-life-friends-and-family-part-1
- Keeping kids safe by choosing the adults in your child's life: Friends and family – Part 2
- In the Summer of 2021, I worked with MSU Extension's Child and Family Development team as a Youth Safety & Wellness Intern. With this position, I was granted the opportunity to co-write an article series on how to determine which friends and family members are safe to be around a child with my supervisor Kylie Rymanowicz. Link to article: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/keeping-kids-safe-bychoosing-the-adults-in-your-child-s-life-friends-and-family-part2#:~:text=Choosing%20safe%20
- In the Summer of 2021, I worked with MSU Extension's Child and Family Development team as a Youth Safety & Wellness Intern. With this position, I was granted the opportunity to co-write an article series on how to determine which friends and family members are safe to be around a child with my supervisor Kylie Rymanowicz. Link to article: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/keeping-kids-safe-bychoosing-the-adults-in-your-child-s-life-friends-and-family-part2#:~:text=Choosing%20safe%20
- Teaching children appropriate language - Part 1
- In the Summer of 2021, I worked with MSU Extension's Child and Family Development team as a Youth Safety & Wellness Intern. With this position, I was granted the opportunity to co-write an article series about teaching children appropriate language with my supervisor Kylie Rymanowicz. Link to article: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/teaching-childrenappropriate-language-part-1
- In the Summer of 2021, I worked with MSU Extension's Child and Family Development team as a Youth Safety & Wellness Intern. With this position, I was granted the opportunity to co-write an article series about teaching children appropriate language with my supervisor Kylie Rymanowicz. Link to article: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/teaching-childrenappropriate-language-part-1
- Teaching children appropriate language - Part 2
- In the Summer of 2021, I worked with MSU Extension's Child and Family Development team as a Youth Safety & Wellness Intern. With this position, I was granted the opportunity to co-write an article series about teaching children appropriate language with my supervisor Kylie Rymanowicz. Link to article: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/teaching-childrenappropriate-language-part-2
- Keeping Kids Safe: Choosing Safe Adults: Friends & Family Caregiver
-
PRESENTATIONS
- Social and Emotional Learning Poster
- I presented my research on the importance for parents and caregivers to support Social and Emotional Learning in youth to the faculty of MSU Extension. More information about the poster is listed under the conference attended section. Listed below is the link to my poster: https://www.canr.msu.edu/fec/uploads/files/2021/Kate%20Oconnell%20-%20%20Importance%20of%20SEL-%20Poster.pdf
-
Importance of Outdoor Play
-
As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern for MSU Extension, I helped co-teach this series for childcare providers on the importance of outdoor play for children's physical, social, and emotional development
-
-
Family Conflict as a Communication Process
-
As an honors project for the course Interpersonal Relationships in the Family (HDFS 444) I taught a lesson on family conflict as a communication process. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this course was taught completely online through zoom. This presentation helped further my confidence in public speaking while improving my ability to facilitate. In order to create an effective lesson, I implemented engagement activities to encourage participation in the online format. This consisted of polls, using the chatbox, and asking open-ended questions to prompt discussion.
-
-
Building Early Emotional Skills for Parents (BEES)
-
As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern for MSU Extension, I helped co-teach the Building Early Emotional Skills for Parents (BEE's) 4 week series with my supervisor to help equip parents of toddlers and infants with the skills to support their child's social and emotional development. This course was taught multiple times throughout the entirety of my internship.
-
-
Guiding Principles for Parenting
-
As the Youth Safety and Wellness Intern, I helped co-teach a reoccurring four-week parenting series to aid parents in learning the most effective strategies to support the healthy development of their child in both personal and academic life. Some of the learning objectives taught are listed below: - Developing family routines - Developing emotional control in your child - Being a calm assertive parent - Developing consistent rules and relationships -Learning from mistakes and developing empathy & the ability to be thankful as a result
-
- Social and Emotional Learning Poster
-
CONFERENCES
-
2021 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum(UURAF)
-
