Ever since he was a young boy, Jaelon Quiero-Gordon ’24 (Westerville, Ohio) has known what he wanted to do for a living.
“I was 7, 8 years old and I knew I wanted to be a sportscaster,” he said. “So when I met Phil (Mason) and I learned he was doing live game coverage here, I knew I needed to work with him.”
Quiero-Gordon, a Communication Studies major who is also studying Broadcasting, was one of more than 180 students who presented during the 13th annual All Scholars Day on Thursday, April 14th. Students presented original creative works, individual and team research projects and internship experiences throughout the day, and answered questions from fellow students, faculty and staff about their presentations.
Quiero-Gordon’s poster presentation focused on his internship with Mason, who is the Digital Content Specialist and also commentates on many of the Pioneers’ home athletic competitions.
In addition to his poster, Quiero-Gordon had an iPad loaded with files that showed the research he put into scouting opponents prior to helping Mason commentate home games.
“I looked at their stats, dominant players, breakdown of their games and what it would take to beat them,” he said. “A lot of research goes into every game.”
Like Quiero-Gordon, it was Marissa Jerina’s first time presenting at All Scholars Day. The Communication Studies major had two posters: one that highlighted her internship with AmeriCorps CRUSH (Corps for Rural and Urban Success in Health), and one that focused on her research project, Pink and Blue: How Power and Gender Represented in Abusive Relations, which used examples from the television series, Euphoria, to illustrate her point.
“At the end of my AmeriCorps CRUSH internship, I get to present at the state All Scholars Day in Columbus,” Jerina ’23 (Warren, Ohio) said.
Next to Jerina in the DBRC was Johannah James ’24 (Marietta, Ohio), who interned with The Propwatch Project, a nonprofit organization aimed at raising awareness of propaganda and misinformation. During her research, she conducted interviews with experts in this field.
“I also have an interview scheduled with Noam Chomsky, so I will be able to ask him questions and have a direct source,” James said. Chomsky, a famed linguist and social critic, is the author of "Propaganda and the Public Mind."
Health Science major Cantor Schott ’22 (Caldwell, Ohio) researched the struggles of people with disabilities regarding how they are treated within the medical community. His poster session, entitled Wounds of a Forgotten Identity: Examining Disability in the Television Show “House,” focused on the critical rhetoric in healthcare that put people with disabilities at a disadvantage. One such example in the House series is when the main character has a patient with dwarfism. The doctor humiliates the patient and doesn’t take the presented symptoms seriously.
“Although this is a show, it shows us that these are real situations for people living with disabilities and how they don’t receive the medical treatment they need because their doctor doesn’t see them as mature or equal,” Schott said.
Schott plans to apply to Marietta College’s Physician Assistant Studies graduate program this summer.
“I’m a Health Science major with a Health Communication minor, so being able to communicate with people in healthcare is very important to me,” he said.
Abbie Puchta ’22 (Cincinnati, Ohio) was excited to present her posters during All Scholars Day. Her work focused on her internship with Cincinnati Heath Works and her research on employee burnout.
“I started looking at burnout with healthcare workers, but then I switched to all workers because it pertains to everyone,” Puchta said, adding that “The Great Resignation” is something that most employers are facing and trying to remedy by offering better working arrangements like flexible hours, remote work and higher compensation.
English major Kaleigh Eakle ’24 (Belpre, Ohio) was able to blend her two minors — Legal Studies and Professional Writing — into her internship with the Washington County Health Department in its Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. She also worked with the Complete Streets Program, which focuses on ensuring safe and usable transportation routes for communities, including sidewalks and bike paths.
“I love law, policy and writing, so this was a great experience for me,” Eakle said. “I was able to use my graphic design skills for different signs. I loved working with the Health Department.”