4/5/2023
I had the incredible opportunity to present my research at the 24th Annual National Conference for McNair Scholars and Undergraduate Research held at the University of Maryland at College Park. This conference was an amazing experience where I listened to inspiring speakers, met brilliant young people with fascinating research projects, and learned a lot about my options for the future. I was the only one from our group representing UWEC to present my research. This was definitely nerve wracking, but I'm ultimately so glad I followed through with it.
The Conference
I had no real idea of what to expect from this conference. I had never been to anything like it, but it was cool! I enjoyed listening to some of the keynote speakers, notably Dr. Traki Taylor. She kept us captivated with her humor and contagious laugh and talked a lot about her journey in pursuing Graduate education. She talked about the inevitability of failure and the importance of a good support system, which I will take with me as I pursue my future goals. I also got to attend a workshop titled Reclaim Your Career and Life: I'd Rather Die Dancing than Sitting at my Desk led by Dr. Marcal Graham. This workshop was highly discussion based, which allowed me to listen to perspectives from many people from diverse backgrounds. It was inspiring to hear similar experiences to mine, similar fears for the future, and similar passions to become the best versions of ourselves.
The People
Meeting other McNair scholars was a refreshing experience. Sometimes I find it difficult to talk to people from my generation about research and other scholarly topics, especially with people from other fields or people who are not in college. This conference allowed me to talk about my research confidently and really dive into the specifics of my topic. The people I talked to were genuinely interested in what I had to say and encouraged me to take my project further. I also enjoyed hearing about all of the different projects my peers were working on. There were so many topics from a variety of fields, and many people were researching subjects in which they had personal stake. Hearing them passionately talk about their topics and what inspired them to pursue their project reassured me that I'm on the right track and inspired me to pursue more research in the future! I even met someone whose topic was almost identical to mine, and I hope to collaborate with her someday.
The Presentation
On the Friday of our conference, it was time for me to present my poster. Leading up to my presentation, I only felt stress. My poster had barely printed before I had to get on the plane to Maryland, and I had been working up until the last second to get it completed. I had very little time to practice how I was going to present, so when I was on my way to the poster presentations, I felt as though I was walking in blindly. However, I watched the other presenters talk about their research, and after I talked to the first few people who came up to me, I found a rhythm that worked for me. By the time the judge came around to look at my poster, I was far more confident than I was before. Even so, I was both surprised and delighted when he told me I had received a perfect score!
The Future
So what's next for me? UWEC is hosting NCUR (The National Conference for Undergraduate Research) this month, and I will be presenting my poster there as well. I am far more confident and excited for this conference than I was for Maryland, as I have some much-needed practice and a perfect score already under my belt. This conference will be significantly larger, but the comfort of presenting in a familiar place will also help me. After NCUR, my research will continue and expand over the summer. Next year, I hope to present at more conferences, meet more people, gain new perspectives, and never stop learning!
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