During the Fall 2016 semester, as a final assignment for my TV Genre and Fandom course, I wrote an outline for a paper on fans of pre-Internet era television and their utilization of the Internet to engage in their fan practices. At the encouraging of one of my professors, I worked on expanding my outline into an article-length project worthy of submission to an academic journal. Before completing this, however, I submitted my paper to the Northeast Popular/American Culture Association’s (NEPCA) fall conference. When submitting my project, I was hoping that my work would be accepted so that I not only would be able to gain feedback on my paper, but to also meet and network with members of my academic community. Participating in the NEPCA conference was a spectacular experience. Not only was I was able to receive feedback and suggestions on how I can further expand my work, but I had the opportunity to sit and observe some fascinating panels, which inspired me to approach otherwise familiar topics with a new perspective. At the conference I was able to meet and network with attendees who came from every corner of the larger arts and humanities academic community, as well as interact with scholars who were all at vastly different places in their academic careers. The NEPCA conference was a welcoming and encouraging space that made it easy and comfortable for me, just a master’s student, to engage in intellectually stimulating conversation with assistant professors, PhD candidates, emeritus faculty, and everyone in between.
It was not just the friendly atmosphere that made me feel at home at the NEPCA conference. I also felt fully prepared for the conference, thanks to my time here at Boston University. The panels I attended very much reminded me of the intimate academic settings that I have in most of my classes: an open conversation of intellectually-stimulating topics with individual and insightful perspectives. As for my presentation, my nerves were (somewhat) subdued because in previous class assignments, I was given the task of giving a presentation akin to those that may be given in a conference setting. In fact, the presentation that I had given at the NEPCA was an adaptation of one I had done in a previous class. This opportunity to present my work, which I had previously submitted and presented in my classes, at a conference is a great example of how well the program has prepared me for the rigors and expectations of the academic world.