Research Testimonials

Tried and True: Grantees Share Their Experiences

By Leila M. Kojouri

Caitlin Holtzman, a senior double-majoring in journalism and marketing, received an undergraduate research grant from Smeal last spring.

“I was really interested in getting some international experience,” said Holtzman, who traveled to South Africa last May to conduct research with two professors and a group of eight undergraduate students.

Her research project focused on communicating agricultural development abroad.

Holtzman and her research team worked to help farmers expand their sustenance farms into commercial farms. 

“I studied the techniques used to train those with little to no business experience how to set up their own business models and grow these businesses into the future,” said Holtzman.

The grant she received covered half of the expenses for her three-week trip.

“It was about $1,300 for the plane ticket and about another $1,000 for being in country, and I knew I couldn’t afford that on my own because I’m a college student,” she said.

“…It’s great because you get experience that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise afford,” said Holtzman of the grants.

She said she gained valuable experience during her research project that was both challenging and invigorating. 

Through conducting marketing research and gaining international reporting experience, she was able to complement both of her academic concentrations – marketing and journalism.

 “I got a lot of first-hand experience with traveling abroad; meeting with people, learning about culture, the country, their history, their policy; all those different kind of things that you can get told about in a classroom, but learning first hand from the people living there and working there -  it’s completely different,” said Holtzman.

“I learned how to take all that information, compile it together, and put it together into something when I came back,” she said. 

“It was great; it was a fun experience you can’t get inside a class room.”