André Hiroki

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
I worked on a project about how Illinois schools and teachers are implementing media literacy after the state passed Public Act 102-0055 (2021), which mandates a unit of instruction in media literacy in public high schools. I helped map policy requirements, conducted interviews with educators, completed qualitative coding of those conversations, and contributed to a classroom-facing case study on media education. Or work focused on understanding and analyzing the landscape of media literacy teaching as it unfolds in real schools.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
What drew me in was the intersection of journalism and education. Journalism trained me to ask how people consume and make sense of information, while education looks at how we can intentionally teach those skills. This project sat right in between, and I was curious about how classrooms could become spaces where students learn to navigate information critically.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I became interested in research because it gives structure to curiosity. Instead of stopping at surface impressions, research pushes me to gather evidence, test assumptions, and translate questions into something systematic.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
This was my first research experience, so I had to learn a lot as I went. I practiced literature review, interviewing, and qualitative coding, which helped me strengthen my analysis and synthesis skills.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Don’t wait until you feel completely prepared to begin. Reach out to professors whose work interests you and ask questions, Northwestern has plenty of resources to guide you once you take the first step. And if you are in the humanities or social sciences, know that research opportunities are just as valuable and rewarding as in other fields!