Eastern Student Jacqueline Ray of Manchester Presents Research Project at State History Conference

2016 Mar 18

A group of Eastern Connecticut State University history students attended and presented research at the second annual CSU "Making History" conference which was held at Central Connecticut State University on March 11.

Jacqueline Ray '17 of Manchester, CT, was one of the students that presented their research. Ray is majoring in History and Social Science; the research project was titled, "Samson Occom's Life and Legacy" (poster).

Ray said, "Samson Occom, a praying Mohegan Indian, is often overlooked as a significant figure in Connecticut history. Occom's work in the Christian Mohegan community, as well as his role in the creation of Dartmouth, are worthy of recognition. The research project, in the form of a poster, highlights the various roles that Occom took on during his lifetime, as well as his legacies that still live on today."

Ray's faculty mentor is Professor Thomas Balcerski.

The conference is the outcome of the vision of the chairs of the four Connecticut State University Departments of History, who conceived of the conference as a forum for presentations and a preprofessional experience for students. It is also a networking opportunity for history students and faculty and a resource to enhance cross-campus collaborations.

Ray added, "Thanks to the Center for Connecticut Studies at Eastern's J. Eugene Smith Library, I was able to draw most of my information directly from the writings of Eleazar Wheelock and Samson Occom. Samson Occom lead an interesting life and the more I dug for information, the more interesting the research became."

The students were accompanied by History Professor and Department Chair Anna Kirchmann and Professors Joan Meznar and Thomas Balcerski.

"The 'Making History' conference brings together both faculty and students in the four CSU departments," said Kirchmann. "By facilitating the exchange of academic knowledge, it helps us to get to know each other better. This year's conference was a great event and allowed our students to experience a professional conference first-hand. All of our presenters did a fantastic job and I am very proud of them."

Professor Balcerski added, "The 'Making History' conference was a banner day for Eastern. Our student presenters were absolutely fantastic and our student contingent received special accolades from the conference organizer for their quality participation and professional comportment."