Students represent Geneseo at nation-wide scholarly conferences
Following spring break, two groups of Geneseo students traveled to respective prestigious conferences to present their work and represent Geneseo among other scholars from across the country. From Mar. 22 to Mar. 25, four students from various majors traveled to Gainesville, Florida to attend the 47th Annual National Council for Black Studies Conference. Then, from Mar. 29 to Apr. 1, students from Geneseo’s chapter of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society traveled to Denver, Colorado for the Annual Sigma Tau Delta Convention.
Senior English major Lidabel Guzman Avila was one of the students who attended the conference for the National Council for Black Studies.
“Three other students [and I] were panelists for a session where we presented on independent Black and Africana studies research we’ve been doing with Dr. Ola Nwabara as our mentor,” Avila said. “One of the major takeaways we got from attending the conference, different panels, and networking with different Black and Africana studies scholars, was that we’re definitely thinking about graduate school programs within those disciplines.”
More information on the National Council for Black Studies Conference can be found in Geneseo’s Recess Magazine as of Thursday, April 6. It is strongly encouraged by The Lamron staff for everyone to read the feature in Recess, which gives a full overview of the students’ experiences at the event.
The Sigma Tau Delta Convention, which was aptly themed “Colorful Colorado,” was held at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel. Over the course of four days, students from chapters all over the U.S. gathered to share critical essays and creative pieces selected for presentation by an overseeing acceptance committee. Students were divided into sub-panels by topic, with about 3-5 presenters in each panel. After reading their respective works, audience members were permitted to pose questions to the panelists.
Last year, Geneseo brought six total students to the conference in Atlanta. For this year’s convention, 11 students and one alum attended, thus doubling the number of students selected from Geneseo. Each of the individuals, accompanied by English professor and faculty sponsor for Geneseo’s Sigma Tau Delta (STD) chapter Gillian Paku, presented brilliant works and eagerly participated in the conference events.
Senior English major Matt Keller, who won an award at the convention for his presented paper, detailed how the experience was meaningful as an individual as well as a member of the honor society at the nationwide level.
“There’s a certain amount of awe you feel going into the conference, being surrounded by people who think, study, and live so similarly to you, but [from] all over the country,” Keller said. “Especially with English being a smaller department, it’s something really special.”
Other attendees echoed similar sentiments and described how the convention brought a sense of greater community and friendship among students in the department. Junior English and adolescent education major Diana Morley expressed enormous gratitude for the way in which the convention fostered this: “It was so nice to be surrounded by such amazing people who all share a profound and deafening love for English. The memories and relationships made through this experience are ones that I will always cherish.”
Senior English major Liz Roos also noted the special experience of spending time with the other members of the chapter: “I made so many new close friends on the trip, and I got to explore the city with them – it was amazing.”
In addition to the presentations, the leadership team at the convention hosted events for attendees throughout their stay. Naturally, one of the events that they hosted was a literary trivia night, and with all of the English majors in attendance, the members flocked to the hotel ballroom to compete against the other chapters and establish their knowledge.
“We kicked butt in trivia with a very competitive Dr. Paku,” said senior English major and STD chapter president Hannah Lustyik, whose trivia team won a respectable third place in the game.
“It gets me emotional, thinking about where everyone is going to go and develop as writers and people,” Lustyik continued. “I’m so proud of everyone it hurts. A lot of us are graduating; hopefully we can return as alumni and make Geneseo proud!”
Without a doubt, all of the students who attended each of the respective conventions demonstrated the intellect and talent that Geneseo has to offer. The Lamron staff extends its congratulations to all of the students involved in these conferences.