<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/career/blog/2026/02/student-research-experience.php" dsn="blog"><title>Learning to Lead Through Research</title><item_date>02/19/2026 08:00:00 AM</item_date><author>Rei Zimmerman</author><image><img src="/career/images/blog-images/rei-cover.png" alt="Rei Zimmerman"/></image><display>true</display><summary>When I stepped into the role of Research Ambassadors President at LSU, I was not handed a script or a manual. I was given people—curious, capable, uncertain—and a responsibility to make research legible, inviting, and alive. Leadership, I learned quickly, is something you work at.</summary><tags><tag>Career On Campus</tag><tag>Career Readiness</tag><tag>Leadership</tag><tag>Ready to Roar</tag><tag>Undergraduate Research</tag></tags><categories/></item>