April May 2023 College News

College of Fine Arts and Communication | 11 • Callum Ritter finished second in the nation in Poetry Interpretation. Ritter also was a national semi-finalist in Program Oral Interpretation and a national quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation. • Haley Bass was a national quarterfinalist in After Dinner Speaking. The Bobcats won numerous awards at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association Championships. Highlights: • The team won the top overall school sweepstakes award. • The team won the second-place debate sweepstakes award. • The team won the second-place individual events award. • Haley Bass took first place in Informative Speaking. • Callum Ritter won first place in Dramatic Interpretation and second place in Poetry Interpretation. • Hanna Prince placed fourth in Dramatic Interpretation. • Halle Divalentone , Jacob Everett , Jacob Graybill , and Samantha Nava qualified for quarterfinals in International Public Debate. CAREER READINESS CONNECTS STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS The Career Readiness Program, led by Michael Burns , had its final events of the semester with Texas State Alumni. Maria Garrett spoke about her experiences as a leadership consultant. Maria is principal owner of MG Leadership, a boutique executive coaching and consulting firm. She delivers customized, one-on-one coaching services to top leaders in the tech sector and works with leadership teams to increase their impact and effectiveness. Students in the Career Readiness program visited Memorial Hermann Hospital in Katy where they met with the Chief Nursing Officer and attended a presentation entitled “Project Management 101." Natalie Cavazos and Maddie Banks are both employees of the hospital that hosted them. Maddie is the Hospital Operations Manager and Natalie is a Senior Marketing Specialist. [5] STUDENT ACCOLADES Abigail Mellow successfully defended her thesis, “’You’re worthless’: Exploring memorable messages of parental rejection and communication’s role in providing a sense of strength among emerging adults.” Rupinder Kaur presented “Ankhila Punjab: Messages to influence, advocate, and move” to the 2023 NAAAS & Affiliates Joint National Conference. Cassidy Trim presented “#QueerStoriesareRealStories: Countering harmful LGBTQIA+ narratives in the media through fanfiction” to the 2023 Popular Culture Association conference in San Antonio. [6] Gavin Thomson and Cesar Mejia Aguilar presented a training entitled “Say it with your chest: Having difficult conversations in a respectful, collaborative, and considerate manner” at the 2023 TXST Stem Conference. The training was co-facilitated with Jasmine Austin. Amber Alston , Victoria Diaz , Kirara Natsuka , Luis Ortiz , Heather Poulson , Mya Taylor , Gavin Thomson , Mike Thompson , Cassidy Trim , Sarah Wood , and Elizabeth Yanas successfully completed their Master's Academic/Professional Portfolio (MAPP) as the culminating experience of the Master’s program. Larry Adisa presented his research entitled "Fallacies in the conversations of men and women: A deep dive into TikTok social conversations" to the Texas State Undergraduate Research Conference. The paper explores how discourse on TikTok shapes masculinity in fallacious ways. Haley Bass presented "Justice justifies all: How the Capitol Hill organized protest created a vision of social justice" to the Theodore Clevenger Jr. Undergraduate Honors Conference, held during Southern States Communication Association Convention in St. Petersburg. Lauren Green was sworn in as one of the new Graduate House Representatives for the College of Fine Arts and Communication. She will act as the liaison between graduate students and faculty, serving anyone who has concerns regarding graduate life at Texas State University. Lambda Pi Eta offers students an opportunity to meet and socialize with other Communication Studies majors and faculty, explore employment options, expand knowledge of current issues in the discipline, and provide service to the department and the Texas State community. Mark Paz and the members of LPE dug holes, planted bushes, shoveled rocks as they participated in Bobcat Build.