Hey there. I'm Krystal! | W2 Introductions | Discussion

My birth name is Amalia Krystal Lira, but you can call me Krystal. Quick back story… My great grandmother, grandmother, and mother were all named Amalia. To avoid confusion around the house, my family started calling me Krystal at a very young age. So, I’ve always preferred Krystal.

I come to Michigan State University from Los Angeles, California. I was both and raised in LA and before I started graduate school I had never lived anywhere else. I did all of my education (K-undergrad) in Southern California. Before obtaining my undergraduate degree, I attended Cerritos Community College and played competitive swimming and waterpolo. Most recently, I obtained a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach. Today, I am currently at Michigan State University pursuing a PhD in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology. I work under the supervision of Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia investigating motivation and persistence in STEM domains. After I obtain my degree from MSU, I plan to continue conducting research on motivation and teaching college students in California. I also would like to become involved in a structured mentoring program where I can mentor students interested in research careers. The ability of my previous mentors to positively shape my academic trajectory has motivated me to pay it forward and mentor students in academia.

One thing I am looking forward to learning more about in this course is the type of research in Educational Technology. In the previous proseminar course, many of the articles I read were mainly about the field of Educational Psychology and I think this will be a good opportunity for me to learn more about a new field and possibly learn about my interests in the field. I am also interested in learning more about Social Media & Learning, Games, Serious Games & Learning which takes place in week 10.