General Education Arts and Humanities Student Life

MSU Texas provides research opportunities to help students dig deeper

Reanna Gonzalez
30 March 2026
4 min read

Midwestern State University is well known for providing students with a quality experience and resources at an affordable price compared to other schools. This point is no different when it comes to encouraging students to pursue external opportunities to enhance their education.

For Carley Mitchell, MSU Texas has provided her with opportunities and guidance to expand her knowledge base in the field she’s already passionate about with research opportunities.

And this year, Mitchell will be acting as a Support Ambassador for the 2026 National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Richmond, Virginia. She will be responsible for ensuring a smooth and welcoming experience for conference participants.

Mitchell grew up in Wichita Falls and, while she briefly attended a school in Nashville for Music Therapy, she ultimately returned to MSU seeking a more analytical field that would still allow her to help others. She chose a Social Work major with a Business Administration minor at MSU.

“I just love the heart of social work because at its core, it’s wanting to help people – underserved populations and people who just aren’t taken care of in society,” Mitchell said. “I love the idea of getting to help other people, that’s really just what I wanna do, and there are so many options for how to do that through social work.”

Mitchell relished the hands-on learning opportunities and professors who genuinely cared about her success at MSU Texas. However, she believes stepping into the realm of research enhanced her education.

Last year, Mitchell was required to take a research course, through which she was able to produce research that broadened her understanding of topics in her field. It was then that a professor approached her and some other students about presenting that research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. She credits Dr. Packiaraj Arumugham and Professor Catherine Earley with pushing her to take advantage of additional opportunities.

Through that exposure, Mitchell fell in love with research and the doors it could open for her education and her perspective of the world. Mitchell explained that research enhances the student experience by allowing someone to dig deeper and better understand topics of interest. She believes it made her a more dedicated and thorough student, making her more open-minded and a better communicator and presenter. Additionally, she noted that research contributes to a better understanding of the world and how many fields overlap.

Mitchell believes that her passion for research has prepared her for the field of social work because it is such a data and evidence-focused field. She mentioned some of her recent research projects that directly reflect this. One example is a study she did on the impacts on mental health of students who live on campus versus those who commute.

Carley Mitchell stands by a book case — Carley Mitchell has embraced research projects as an MSU Texas student and plans to use that skill plenty in her career (Photo by Reanna Gonzalez). Top photo courtesy of Carley Mitchell during a 2025 presentation.

While generally, data reflect that commuter students have worsened mental health, her research on the MSU campus reflected the opposite.

Mitchell also mentioned a study she’s doing on adoption policies and how they impact accessibility to adoption as an option for those interested. Mitchell explained that she is particularly passionate about topics pertaining to adoption in her field because she and her brother were adopted, and her current internship is for an adoption agency in the area. This personal experience has only further fueled her commitment to the research.

“A lot of social work influences macro things, like policy. By doing research, you have a lot more influence to do things like change policies,” Mitchell said.

She looks forward to the opportunity to serve as a Support Ambassador for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. It will allow her to help others ignite the same passion for research that she found. She knows that for students who have never presented their research before, it can be overwhelming at first. She wants to be a presence of encouragement and hopes to share how her own experiences with research have strengthened her connection to her field.

“Once you get more into the research, you start to see how complex all of these topics that we talk about are. I mean, it’s easy to reference mental health just as like a general subject, but talking about how we specifically dive into what that means and how we measure it, it makes you see how complex it all really is – in a really cool way, not in a scary way,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell will be graduating in May, but she doesn’t plan on letting her passion for research dissipate once she walks across the stage. She said she has been accepted to the University of Houston to pursue a Master’s in Social Work, with a concentration in Macro Social Work. From there, she hopes to get a job in child welfare policy, to extend her love of research in the field, and create change through action research.

Mitchell recommends all students pursue research opportunities in their field, noting that MSU has many resources, such as EURECA. She believes pursuing research in any field helps to broaden a student’s understanding of their field, deepen their commitment to education, and strengthen their potential for career success.

Learn more: Find more information about the research opportunities available through MSU by visiting the Office of Undergraduate Research page.