Researcher Preparation
“In qualitative research that seeks to explore the lived experience of marginalized groups, there is often reference to whether the researcher is an insider or outsider (or a combination) to the research participants…The work of Eber Hampton (1995) prompts us to be clear about our position in relation to community and the research motivations, both academic and personal, guiding our inquiry.”
“However, if we are following the path of Indigenous methodologies, we each find home wherever that may be. Indigenous scholars speak about personal preparations in other ways, such as the inclusion of ceremony in guiding their research.”
“The term researcher preparation describes the experiential aspect of the research, including space for the inward knowing arising from personal experience.” — Margaret Kovach
“As a means for capturing personal reflections throughout the research journey, I elected to record my thoughts in a research journal. Unlike field notes, which are recordings of observations made during field study, this journal captured reflections on thoughts, relationships, dreams, anxieties, and aspirations in a holistic manner that related (if at times tangentially) to my research.”
“Journaling was a tool for making meaning and demonstrated evidence of integrating process and content.”
“Whatever way we define them, personal preparations are about doing the work in a good way and being grounded.”
Questions
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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Could you tell me a little more about yourself?
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What were your motivations for this research?
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Where do you call home?
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Who do you call family?
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Who's a good boy?
Can you tell me a little more about yourself?
Sure, but I’m pretty shy and private so please be gracious with me.
I’m a non-traditional student — I’m 32 years old and live in Eugene, Oregon. I’m a queer woman with a newly discovered ADHD diagnosis (which has helped clear some things up for me…).
My resilience lies in my creativity, humor, and my love of play. Dance is my medicine and my love for movement spans styles and various genres of music. I find my creative outlets, like painting, photography, and sewing, to be deeply healing and empowering. I’m grateful for any opportunity to bring these elements into my daily practice.
I grew up speaking English but I have a lifelong love of all languages. I studied Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Arabic in school. The focus of my studies was less on language fluency and more on cultural exploration and relationship building. At some point, I discovered that languages hold cultural lessons, perspectives, and knowledge. Throughout my studies, I was lucky enough to meet generous people who shared their language and perspectives with me. I’ve been deeply shaped by these relationships and find that my perspective on the world, my reality, is more colorful thanks to them.
What’s your educational and professional background?
You might call me a wanderer. My educational and professional career path has been circuitous.
In 2014, I graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and a minor in Dance.
Directly following graduation, I worked as an adventure guide for the YMCA Camp Seymour in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Short stint of WWOOFing— Worldwide Organization of Organic Farms—homestead
I also did a year and a half of AmeriCorps with metropolitan family service where I served as an after school counselor and I also served as a financial education counselor for kids. also helped with the economic empowerment group doing social media stuff, filmmaking, graphics, photos. So fun in Russian language classes, I forgot about that.
as a resident artist with Springboard in battle like Minnesota. No Fergus Falls Minnesota with collaborator and partner Robert Ewan
also worked in as a front desk person receptionist that turned into a marketing assistant at a financial that an insurance agency also
worked as a marketing associate for financial beginnings nonprofit so
worked as a freelance filmmaker and photograph
What are some of your core values?
As I grow older, I’ve noticed my focus shift from old coping strategies of achievement and excellence to healing values of connection, collaboration, and care. Now, relationships are at the core of my personal and professional pursuits. Within each project, I aim to learn, connect, grow, and celebrate the relationships that bring beauty and joy to my life and others.
I care deeply for others. Whether family, friends, pets, or plants, I crave strong, supportive, genuine relationships with my community.
Additionally, a great deal of my success in life is thanks to the support of individuals across my various networks. I recognize this interdependence and aim to reciprocate this wealth in my life and career.
I strive to be a strong advocate and ally and have dedicated parts of my education to the research and application of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, and and address the impacts of settler- colonial and capitalistic ideologies that embody large portions of today’s institutions, politics, and culture.
Why did you decide to go back to school for landscape architecture?
Rosie came to landscape architecture through a circuitous path and hopes to find work that generates greater health, happiness, and connection in our outdoor landscapes. She hopes to focus her work as a designer and artist on developing therapeutic landscapes and experiences that inspire intentional, supportive connections between people, plants, animals, and the non- tangible world, and generate more health, healing, and happiness for all.
In my many years of life 32 specifically, I've discovered that I have a broad range of interests and a broad set of skills. I like to have varied work and I really enjoy tangible hands on work. I also really care about how our environment influences last.
Feel like I was an environmental psychologist before I realized
and I really enjoyed the idea that landscape architecture could be a way for me to engage a broad set of skills. And yeah, a broad set of skills and money interests, different groups of people. relationship with the earth it just felt like such a cool thing to be a part of. And when I learned about what it was to work in a firm I wasn't as excited. But I was still excited by the idea of learning about the Earth and having an opportunity to be creative and design focused and still have it like connected to the sciences. In some form, we are learning about natural systems and so awesome
Where do you call home?
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I have many fond memories of my home on Lambert Street in Sellwood. My childhood home was located across the street from a large city park, waterfront area, and wetland refuge. Growing up, I spent most of my after-school hours and summers exploring, playing, and hanging out in that expansive backyard. I was especially keen on walking my dogs along the Willamette River waterfront.
My parents and grandparents were also born and raised in Portland. My great-grandparents immigrated from Italy, Germany, Norway, and Poland. Born of meager means, they came to the United States looking for opportunity.
It wasn’t until grad school that I learned that my home sits on land formerly belonging to the Clackamas and Cowlitz tribes.
What were your motivations for the research?
This project started when my friend, Audrey Rycewicz, connected me with Yekang Ko, one of the directors of the UO program Landscape for Humanity. Yekang offered me a position to assist students in the implementation of community-design projects in her ‘Design for Climate Action’ course.
When the topic of a new project site called Everyone Village came up, I elected to co-facilitate the group with Ph.D. student Sara Loquist. I was especially excited to work there when I discovered that the founders were interested in incorporating a trauma-informed design approach. It was the first time that I'd heard of someone incorporating trauma-informed care principles into the design process and I was really curious to explore the possibilities.
More than just interest though, the trauma-informed design approach brought me hope. I was struggling in school when I learned about it. Most of my program was set up in a traditional studio format that I found to be ignorant of my needs as a neurodivergent designer. And this ignorance meant that I was being continually triggered in classes. By my second year in the program, I was exhausted, demoralized, and on the brink of dropping out.
This project started as a protest. I felt stunted by the design processes pushed on me by professors. After many tears and a marginal pass, I knew I needed to keep looking and the trauma-informed design process offered an opportunity to develop one of my own—a process tailored to my unique needs and values. What started as a protest turned into a transformative healing journey.
Who are some of the co-researchers?
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. My parents are from Portland. My grandparents were from Portland. And my great-grandparents immigrated from Italy, Germany, Norway, and Poland.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Who do you call family?
I grew up in a large family of mixed European descent. My mother is Barabara Ann Minkoff and my father is Jeffrey Richard Yerke. My parents blessed me with 6 amazing siblings: Dani, Derek, James, Ben, Sam, and Jackie. In turn, my siblings have gifted me many sweet nieces and nephews: Jacy, Lauren, Maddux, Jude, Nolan, Sawyer, Lily, and Luca.
To make a big family bigger, I also have many dear aunts, uncles, and cousins. Alongside the many, my Aunt Gayle and Uncle Doug have been a continual source of love, support, and encouragement.
After the passing of my father, a few neighborhood families took special care to look out for me in my youth. They were important extensions of my family during those challenging years. The following families especially helped to shape some of the most joyful and connected moments of my childhood: the Donohoes, Pattersons, Purcells, Orsers, Baylors, VanCleves, and many more.
I’ve also grown family in my 32 years of life.
Who’s a good boy?
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. My parents are from Portland. My grandparents were from Portland. And my great-grandparents immigrated from Italy, Germany, Norway, and Poland.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.