Where am I now? by Samantha Ogrodnik

Think of one significant experience from the past year where you felt truly engaged, proud, or in a "flow state" (in your research, at work, in your personal life, volunteering, during time with family & friends, creating something, etc.)

sogrodnik7 — 2025-09-17 22:45:26 UTC

What specific skills did you use? (Analyzing, Communicating, Leading, Creating, Organizing, Researching, Teaching, etc.)

sogrodnik7 — 2025-09-17 22:46:59 UTC

What topics, subjects, or problems were you working on that you found engaging?

sogrodnik7 — 2025-09-17 22:47:13 UTC

Why was this meaningful to you? What was important about it? (e.g., Achievement, Community, Helping Others, Independence, Prestige, Security. etc.)

sogrodnik7 — 2025-09-17 22:47:28 UTC

My goal and my flow experience tell me that... A logical next step is to...

sogrodnik7 — 2025-09-22 17:26:14 UTC

presenting at a conference in the UK

2025-09-22 19:24:31 UTC

doing yoga

2025-09-22 19:24:49 UTC

flow experience

2025-09-22 19:24:56 UTC

In my research I found a Program that will help me with my PhD thesis and will apply to go to it in Hawaii

2025-09-22 19:25:19 UTC

receiving nice feedback from written work while applying to uvic

2025-09-22 19:25:21 UTC

I liked when I present my research to a group of researchers who truly understand the field.

Provide a guest lecture on prejudice and freestyle to whole thing without any notes.

2025-09-22 19:25:46 UTC

Received the final grades for the first term

researching

2025-09-22 19:26:38 UTC

communication

2025-09-22 19:26:45 UTC

2025-09-22 19:26:56 UTC

Public speaking,

Teaching,

Knowledge transition with visuals (powerpoints)

2025-09-22 19:26:58 UTC

researching and applying lived experiences

knowledge translation

2025-09-22 19:27:05 UTC

mental clarity, physical strength, breath work

2025-09-22 19:27:25 UTC

indigenous language revitalization

2025-09-22 19:28:28 UTC

2025-09-22 19:28:36 UTC

revitalization of Indigenous language and applying it to my research

2025-09-22 19:28:43 UTC

How people's mind and brain works.

learning how strong I am

2025-09-22 19:29:22 UTC

answering difficult or challenging questions about my research in a public forum

2025-09-22 19:29:37 UTC

Design experiments

masondomo — 2025-09-22 19:29:41 UTC

Led User Interface experiments and analyzed churn cohorts to cut a key page’s bounce rate from 76% to 50%, directly enabling a CAD $100K B2B sales contract

2025-09-22 19:29:41 UTC

I teach nuuchahnulth language with 7 elders and I have been for the past 8 years

Climate Activism

masondomo — 2025-09-22 19:30:05 UTC

As a Greenpeace Korea activist, I prepared and executed creative protest campaigns that translated complex environmental issues into accessible, engaging messages for the public. I focused on raising awareness through impactful design and storytelling, ensuring citizens could connect with and act on key climate and environmental challenges.

2025-09-22 19:30:40 UTC

building community and learning about myself in the process

sense of achievement, feel alive

2025-09-22 19:31:07 UTC

community development 501

2025-09-22 19:31:18 UTC

oddly, i am still trying to re write the paper, and struggling in the course, but my work is on an upward curve

knowledge translation: sharing my research in the hope that it will have an impact on policy and practice

2025-09-22 19:31:21 UTC

2025-09-22 19:31:37 UTC

It is meaningful because I can see the impact of my knowledge on people, I am not the only person who cares about the things I spent years learninng. Value of knowledge is often not so obvious in basic research.

APCDLC

masondomo — 2025-09-22 19:32:21 UTC

Analyzing user behavior and churn data to identify pain points and measure the impact of UI experiments.
Problem-solving by designing and testing solutions that reduced bounce rates and improved conversion.
Communicating complex ideas clearly, both through data storytelling for stakeholders and creative messaging for public campaigns.
Designing engaging user interfaces and protest visuals that translated abstract issues into tangible experiences.
Leading/Collaborating by coordinating with teammates, contractors, and fellow activists to ensure smooth execution and shared goals.

Both experiences reflect my interest in solving problems at the intersection of human behavior, design, and social impact.

masondomo — 2025-09-22 19:33:29 UTC

I was deeply engaged in two areas: optimizing digital experiences through data-driven design, and advancing environmental awareness through creative public campaigns.

communication are powerful tools for creating positive change.

masondomo — 2025-09-22 19:34:58 UTC

These experiences were meaningful to me because they combined achievement with impact. In the product work, reducing bounce rates and securing a major contract showed me how data-driven design can directly contribute to organizational success. In my activism with Greenpeace, I valued helping others and building community by making environmental issues understandable and motivating citizens to act. Both experiences reinforced my belief that design and communication are powerful tools for creating positive change.

try to network with researchers/professors in my field (on LinkedIn or Research Gate)

2025-09-22 19:35:52 UTC

2025-09-22 19:36:04 UTC

building a community with like-minded people and also organizing my research so the work is manageable

look for postdoc opportunities

2025-09-22 19:36:06 UTC

2025-09-22 19:37:22 UTC

My goal and my flow experience tells me that: I might be good at research and knowledge transition. I should look for job postings in the field (believe me not that easy to find especially outside of academia)

2025-09-22 19:37:33 UTC

speak further to the Hawaiin professor that I met and apply to go for my Directed Study (write a proposal and submit to possible funding agencies); ask the Chair of Indigneous Language Revitalziation at ILR to support me