Communication scholars can be found anywhere but look no further than NSCM’s own graduate students. From November 21-24, students and faculty attended the National Communication Association’s Annual Convention in the vibrant city of New Orleans, Louisiana. NCA advances communication scholarship, teaching, and practice to foster a better world. The conference also provides unmatched networking opportunities to connect with industry-leading communication scholars, educators, and professionals.
Students who attended the conference include Taleb Al-Adbah, Shalewa Babatayo, Jessica Compton, Jessica Hoffman, Katelyn Lambert, Carson Mann, Chizorom Okoronkwo, Kylee Seaver, and Walter Washika. A few students gave us an insight into their experience at the conference.
Shalewa Babatayo:
“Attending my first NCA conference was an unforgettable and enriching experience. The highlight for me was definitely meeting the scholars and researchers whose works I’ve read and admired over and over again; it felt like meeting celebrities and fangirling in the most delightfully nerdy way possible. It was inspiring to connect with them and see the passion behind their groundbreaking research. Also, engaging in discussions, sharing my research, engaging with leading minds, and receiving feedback were extremely helpful and will undoubtedly shape my future work and inspire continued growth in my academic journey.”
Taleb Al-Adbah: “Attending the NCA was an unforgettable experience for me as an international student. Dr. Deanna Sellnow and I shared our insights on cultural dialogues in crisis public relations management, using the FIFA opening ceremony as a powerful example. In Nicholson School, we truly are one family. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the doctoral students who attended my presentation and offered their unwavering support.
It was a true honor to present a paper at the NCA 2024 conference. The focus of my work was a visual rhetorical analysis in crisis public relations management, drawing insights from the cultural dialogue of Morgem Freeman and Ghanem AlMuftah during the FIFA 2022 opening ceremony. This effort aimed to bridge cross-cultural perspectives during a time when the world seemed divided between high and low cultural contexts. It highlights how cultural backgrounds shape our understanding of direct explicit messages versus indirect and implicit ones. We stand at a pivotal moment to create a “Third Culture” (Kent & Tylor, 2012) that embraces these differences and promotes sensitive and inclusive public relations practices. In this era of globalization, international events serve as powerful communication tools that unite people across the globe.”
Carson Mann: Presented in Narrative Video Game tutorials, Relational Dialects Theory’s Application to the Classroom and was a panelist at NCA for my master’s program specifically for being a non-traditional student.
“NCA was quite the experience this year. I would say it improved my professional outlook and expanded my horizons on a lot of research. My colleagues and I had a wonderful time!”
Jessica Compton: “This year’s NCA was very special for me because I presented my research at a conference for the first time. I was immensely nervous, but everyone was so friendly and welcoming that my fears were quickly put at ease. I met people from all over the country who shared similar research interests and had some amazing discussions about future research, Ph.D. programs, and career goals. Other than presenting my research on Narrative Instruction in Video Game Tutorials: The Effect of Immersion on Actual and Perceived Learning, the highlight of the conference was being elected as the new Graduate Student Representative for the Game Studies Division. I know this will not be my last NCA, but I know it will always be ingrained in my memory as an important milestone in my academic journey.”
Written by Majdulina Hamed.
Published to Nicholson News on December 6th, 2024.
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