Students Represent Principia at Fall Conferences
Each year, students travel with Principia to regional and national conferences to network with experts on a range of topics—and often to give presentations. This fall was no exception, with students attending two recent conferences.
Senior Charles Nwosu (above) represented Principia at the 70th Annual Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA), hosted by the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, in late October. Approximately 200 undergraduates from over 125 colleges and universities worldwide attended this year’s conference, titled “Cooperation Reimagined: American Influence in an Increasingly Complex World.” Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice gave the keynote.
During the interactive conference, Charles, a senior from Nigeria and triple major in political science, economics, and sociology/anthropology, met with experts from academia and public service in roundtable discussions and informal exchanges. Along with other delegates, Charles developed a series of policy recommendations for Sub-Saharan Africa on issues related to the conference theme. Toward the end of the conference, Charles was selected by his group to co-present their recommendations. “Attending the conference was definitely a highlight of my Principia career,” he says.
Earlier in the month, Brooke Engel, a junior art major (far right in photo), and Jessica Barker, a senior theatre major, attended a conference related to their work as writing tutors in Principia’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Traveling with Associate Professor Ellen Sprague (C’93, pictured far left) and Post-Graduate Teaching Intern Ariana Dale (C’16, second from left), they gave a presentation at the 2018 International Writing Center Association Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s conference, titled “The Citizenship Center,” focused on writing center scholarship and included workshops and sessions on diversity and on teaching English as a second language.
Brooke and Jessica spoke about the collaborative learning community that has been cultivated in Principia’s Write-In SEries (WISE), a workshop series developed by CTL to help students hone the skills necessary for success in Principia’s liberal arts curriculum, including research, revising, proofreading, and time management. “The experience was a wonderful opportunity to share our work as peer tutors in CTL and to learn more about the international writing center community,” Brooke says, noting that she’s added the conference presentation to her growing résumé.