The Office of Student Research is proud to feature Akim Mansaray in this week’s “Scholar Story”.

Akim Mansaray graduated from Longwood University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s of Music degree. His research project focused on the creation and correction of tools used in performance assessments. Throughout this research he worked alongside a Longwood Spanish professor, Dr. Renee Gutierrez, in order to assist him with his research process and produce his own original work.

Akim says “my involvement in this research program was a spur of the moment decision sparked by the recruitment by Dr. Gutierrez. During my sophomore year, she had informed my classmates about the research process and empowered us to believe we could tackle this new obstacle. I have always had an interest in writing, reports and presenting but did not think I could have a larger role in my own research.”

He credits his participation in this research project for “helping me gain a plethora of research skills that made me overly prepared for research work when I entered my graduate program in Curriculum and Instruction at Radford University this past spring. The program gave me confidence that I could be a researcher in my field, improved my critical thinking skills, and created a lifelong research mentor in Dr. Gutierrez who I still discuss research methodology with to this day. I wholeheartedly attribute this research program with giving me the skills needed to overcome any intellectual obstacles.”

Akim is returning to Longwood in summer 2021 to earn his Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Congratulations to Akim on his successful research!

If you would like to have your research featured in a “Scholar Story”, or if you would like to learn more about getting involved in research at Longwood University, please visit Longwood’s Office of Student Research website http://www.longwood.edu/office-of-student-research/

or contact Amorette Barber, Director of the Office of Student Research (osr@longwood.edu or barberar@longwood.edu).