COM Graduate Prize for Academic and Professional Achievement
Over the summer, as I began to consider what I would focus on in my thesis research, I found out about a conference being held at Northwestern University about media reboots and remakes called Backward Glances. After reading their call for papers, I started developing a paper idea that connected my current research interests with the conference’s themes. As I worked and researched this topic throughout the summer, I discovered that this topic is dense enough to support further exploration in a thesis-length project, and the paper I wrote for Backward Glances eventually became the core of my thesis proposal.
Thanks to the COM Graduate Prize, I was able to travel to Illinois to deliver this paper and participate in a panel discussion afterwards, an experience which gave me valuable experience presenting my work in professional settings outside the classroom. Since professional conferences like this one allow their presenters to get feedback on their research, Backward Glances has also helped shape this project moving forward. At the conference, I was able to meet other graduate students, academics, and senior scholars within my field who hold similar research interests to my own. I was also able to hear research from scholars who drew upon disciplines outside what I usually study, broadening my understanding of the conference topic beyond how I had previously viewed it. Overall, my first academic conference was an enriching experience. Now that I’ve gone through the process of submitting a paper and presenting it at a conference, I feel more at ease about sharing my research with my peers in whatever form future opportunities might present. Thank you COM for giving me the opportunity to make this trip and expand my professional skills.