ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (April 3, 2024) – The Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) students selected to present their abstracts at this year’s Southern Regional Honors Council (SRHC) conference are thinking futuristically. It’s a good thing that it is in line with the conference’s theme, “Bridges to the Future.”
Ceanna Kinney, a junior English student, Ashna Mahtani, a sophomore Biology student, and Keirsten McFadden, a senior double majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology are all members of the ECSU Honors Program and will present at the conference April 3-6 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Dolapo Adedeji, director of the university honors program, said the students will be in good company as the SRHC promotes and advances Honors Programs and Honors Colleges in the Southern United States.
“The students are excited for the opportunity to share their work in class and research with their peers in Honors,” she said. “I am very proud of these students and thankful for (ECSU) Academic Affairs for providing the funding for our Honors Scholars to attend conferences like this.”
Kinney’s presentation topic is, ‘’Effects of COVID-19 and Other Factors on Students’ Reading Level,” Mahtani will present on “Synthesis of Novel Carbocyclic Nucleosides,” while McFadden will present “A House is not a Home - Link Between Juvenile Delinquency and Environmental Factors.”
Having the opportunity to share thought processes and research is important, McFadden said, especially among the next generation of thinkers.
“My respective programs have taught me the importance of research and how to really dig while researching. They've also shown me that everything isn't as clear cut as we may make it out to be,” she said. “Answering questions for yourself is helpful, but sharing what is found throughout communities is another thing. We must use our resources, use our voices, and really use our minds. Change doesn't happen sitting down.”
At the end of the conference, student presenters have the chance to win an award for best presentation and any of the presentations can be selected for the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference (NCHC) in Kansas City, Mo. in November.