It’s been a few years since I participated in the middle school science fair, but today was quite the flashback to my volcano-building days.

For the last several months, I have been reviewing the literature on language brokering, acculturation, and depression and anxiety. At the behest of my mentor, Dr. Rainey, I submitted my abstract to the UWF Student Scholars Symposium. Today was the big day!

My board was a very simple black and white trifold. It was a stark contrast to the boards around me that popped with color and pictures and logos. I paced a lot- the pedometer on my watch informed me at 10:30 that I had already met my daily goal of 5000 steps! In the midst of my pacing, I practiced my five minute spiel on several of the passers-by and got quite adept at explaining my research. I believe that I did a good job of representing myself and my passion for the subject to the judges.

I’m really glad I participated in this Symposium. It was really interesting and exciting to see all of the research from across all of the university’s departments. The posters from the psychology department were by far the best though. We rock.