I am convinced that the ACHIEVE program is a manifestation of what I asked for when my (former) life coach said to me at one of our sessions, “Say it out loud, plainly, and put it out to the Universe – What do you want in your career life?” This was about three years ago, when I was a new PhD graduate and was feeling both excited and anxious about my research career. I felt anxious because holding a PhD now meant that I was to apply for (compete!) for research grants. I had also been plagued by feelings of despair at research findings often not amounting to a significant change in the lives of people that we as researchers hope to make.
In my case, I had just wrapped up a project on sexual violence among male offenders, and I was very aware of the urgent need to make correctional centers safe spaces for them to achieve the very purpose of their existence: rehabilitation of offenders and prevention of cycles of violence. So, when my life coach told me to tell the Universe what I wanted, I asked for something that was akin to what I am being offered by ACHIEVE.
First, I have mentors who commit their time, skill, and talent to support me in becoming an independent (grant winning) researcher. Second, I have received seed funding to expand my doctoral work and further develop research to address violence among offenders. Finally, ACHIEVE’s implementation science focus has given me hope that, at the very least, I will be equipped to assess what are potential hindrances to our work being translated to action and, more importantly, equipped to address the barriers that prevent our work from reaching those they need to reach and make the difference that we as researchers hope for.