It was amazing! Seeing as I’d never been to California before, I was excited for multiple reasons. But let me back up a second – my honor thesis: “A Fresh Look at “Howl”: The Trickster in Ginsberg” was accepted for presentation at The Young Rhetoricians’ Conference. It was a terrifying and dizzying experience, but, as I said, amazing. Thankfully I got to present first so that I could sit back and relax for the bulk of the conference. Unfortunately, the aspects that made the conference such a great fit for my more casual presentation also made it rather frustrating at times to get ahold of some concrete information on timing and length and formality, but it ended up breezing by beautifully – a wonderful first for what I hope to be only the beginning of an academic career
The conference took place at the Monterey Resort Hotel right on the Pacific. So, given my family reunion in Pawley’s, South Carolina two days before, I went from walking on the Atlantic to walking on the Pacific in less than a week – the plane trek was exhausting, but I had my best friend there with me (luckily, blessedly) and so everything went by without too much stress. But, I simply tried to look at this as a sort of test-run for my Student Work Symposium presentation this spring.
It was terrifying. I will say though, few things have ever transformed me into such a great editor as crafting my paper into a presentation format. Granted, I only covered about ¼ of 1 chapter of the entire 100 page doowap, but it went over so well that one guy there, C. Dison (earning his MA and working as a professor – about to teach his first class), actually came up and told me after my presentation that my work had inspired him to write a thesis of his own instead of testing to finish his MA (he was not the only person impressed and surprised that this was an undergraduate thesis and not for an MA – sorry, but I have to brag, it’s so surreal).
Of course, I will concede that initially, though I was convinced I did immensely well for my first time, for going first, for standing up sans podium or table to cower behind – I worried afterward that I’d somehow done something horribly wrong or out-of-place because, strangely, no one asked me a single question once I’d finished. That had been the part I’d been most excited and nerve-wrecked over and it deeply affected me not being questioned. I fully anticipate questions at the SU symposium though (which actually terrifies me even more than this one around, knowing it’ll be my professors doing the questioning :p) but really, if it hadn’t been for Evan being there with me and supporting me, I’d have fallen to pieces.
I guess that’s the biggest advice I’d have to offer to presenters after this experience: bring a support group; they make all the difference in the whole world.
I did get the chance to meet some very cool people while I was there – though I will say, a big frustration I had while there was that I’d hang around a while after each presentation I went to, go to the lunches, and make sure I was extra talkative, but no matter what I did, no one would invite me to dinner with them until the next morning when they’d come up and say: Oh, I loved your presentation and we wanted to invite you to dinner but couldn’t find you!
Look dudes, neither I nor Evan had a car or money to just throw at cabbies so we ate dinner at the hotel (which was phenomenal, I must say), so how is it they couldn’t find us? And what about just approaching me after or before the presentations when I was just milling about admiring the book displays and downing all their free coffee?
But, oh well – it’s all good & we shall persevere; it was great fun & a beautiful experience, a good ego-boost.
If you get the chance – absolutely go for something like this, the school will give you $700.00 to go out and do it (which, I well know doesn’t cover all of it) but it’s absolutely worth it.
I hope your summers are going well – I really do miss getting to chat with you all.
Oh! And just in case you’re interested, there’s a John Stewart and John Yoo interview floating around thedailyshow.com right now discussing the legality and justifications of torture and presidential liberties during wartime – I know we spent a while discussing this sort of thing and the morality of torture a ways back, and just thought I’d mention it.
Anyhoo, till next semester – ciao for now, Paideia kats ;]
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