Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working through the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process for our upcoming resilience research project, and I’m proud to say we’ve reached the final stage. This process has stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. What started as a simple community survey evolved into a full research application requiring multiple revisions, detailed ethical safeguards, and formal approvals. I met with my faculty advisor several times to carefully review and refine every part of the study. Each round ushed me to think more critically about consent, confidentiality, data protection, and participant well-being. By our final meeting, my professor confirmed that the application was ready to move forward. That moment meant a lot, not just because it was “approved,” but because it represented careful, ethical work done the right way. Alongside the IRB process, I developed a full set of assessment tools: - A Pre-Survey to measure baseline resilience and mental health knowledge - A Post-Survey to assess learning and immediate growth after the workshop - A One-Month Follow-Up to evaluate whether the tools taught were sustained over time One thing I paid close attention to was language. I worked to ensure the surveys were clear, accessible, and non-stigmatizing. Clinical tools are important, but they must be presented in a way that feels respectful and culturally grounded for the community we’re serving. My main take away from this is that research in a mosque and community setting requires more than academic approval, t requires trust. As part of this process, we secured a Letter of Cooperation from Al-Huda Center and are finalizing one with Khair Collective. These letters matter because they show that this project is collaborative. It’s not research being done on a community it’s research being done with community support and leadership. That distinction is important to me. What Comes Next With the application finalized and survey tools complete, we’re preparing for the data collection phase. Once the final documentation is submitted, we will begin inviting participants to take part in this resilience study. For me, this milestone represents more than paperwork. It represents learning how to conduct ethical, culturally responsive research that centers community voice. It’s one thing to host a workshop. It’s another to measure its impact responsibly and use that data to improve future programming. This experience has shown me that meaningful community work requires both heart and structure. And I’m grateful to be learning how to hold both.