CHAPTER 7-PREPARE FOR THE SYMPOSIUM
11-14-2023
PICTURE OF RONALD McNAIR WITH THE CAPTION SAYING, "EMBRACE HIS LEGACY. CREATE YOU OWN. -McNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM (A U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TRIO PROGRAM)." Photo by McNair Scholars Program-University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), UMBC photo
THE 2023 McNAIR SCHOLARS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
On Wednesday, December 6th, 2023, I (David Evbayekha; my pronouns are he/him/his) will present at the 2023 McNair Scholars Research Symposium at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC). In this discussion, I will highlight the results and findings from my first study with my McNair mentor, Dr. Jeffrey Goodman, regarding how protest-based music videos affect Americans' attitudes, knowledge, and emotions on social injustice movements. The Symposium will not be the first time I presented at a research presentation but the first time I will talk to a live audience. You will assume I have some nerves when you hear that statement. Indeed, you will be correct if you make that guess. The last time I spoke in front of many people was when I was an emcee host for the UWEC's Multicultural Student Services (MSS) Spring 2023 graduation this past May. However, I am excited to show the public the work Dr. Goodman and I have worked on for some time.
MY INTERVIEW WITH BETH STEIN
To prepare for the 2023 McNair Scholars Research Symposium, I arranged an interview with one of the UWEC McNair Writing Interns. For my conversation, I had Beth Stein as my interviewer. Beth was lovely during our Tuesday discussion; she asked thoughtful and insightful questions for me to answer for my academic findings! Also, I told her to come prepared with questions rather than asking after I deliver my presentation, as I will go into full detail regarding my study's findings and results at the Symposium. Unfortunately, Beth and I encountered various technical problems while we were talking. The main issue we saw was Beth's phone would only allow her to record the video for ten seconds.
Luckily, Beth got a video that was eight minutes long. In the segment, you will see that I was nervous while talking with Beth. As I mentioned in my previous blog posts, my audience needs to see me with my flaws. I want to provide a connection to people who are not familiar with me as a researcher and a human being. Before I forget, I asked Beth to include closed captioning in our live interview. I needed to have that specific feature, as I want to ensure everyone can hear and understand the discussion between Beth and me regarding the Symposium.