Delivering a presentation makes many of us anxious, and the mere thought of speaking in front of a large group of professionals only amps up that emotion. Practice is a proven method to quell those butterflies. That’s one reason faculty help 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students find opportunities to present their work to their peers and professionals at conferences.
In September 2023, under the guidance of Caitlin Miles, assistant professor of communication, three 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students transformed their research projects into scholarly presentations at the Global Fusion conference in Austin, Texas, an international conference on global media.
Heeyoung Chae ’25, who majors in international studies and French, presented her senior research project on the Ukrainian war. To help frame it for the conference, Chae added a new question to her research: “How is citizens’ media working in the context of conflict, political violence, or nations’ crises?”
Anh Nguyen ’24, a cinema and communication double major, combined her interest in cinema and media theory to create a documentary that explored Vietnamese students’ daily use of digital media.
Nguyen, an international student from Vietnam, said she uses these platforms to focus on issues that are often particular to international students, such as keeping in touch with people back home or applying for work authorizations.
“We wake up and scroll across our phones,” she said. “I find it really fascinating that we — all of us, regardless of citizenship — engage with digital media in a very embodied way.”
Ikera Olandesca’s presentation began as a writing class assignment about Harajuku fashion. She worked with Miles “to hone it, so the final presentation was on Harajuku as sustainable, anticonsumerist culture.”
Olandesca ’26, a communication and theatre double major, found the experience ”really scary and intimidating, but maybe that’s a good sign?”
Nguyen enjoyed the proactive conversations after the presentations. “Everybody talked to each other like they already knew each other, gave feedback, and made questions and jokes,” she said. “That made the whole experience not just intellectual or academic but also friendly and supportive.”
Public speaking skills are practical and get better with practice. “I expect more conferences coming in my life,” Chae said. “I think I’ll do better next time.”
