Eastern Student Mikayla Zagata of Hamden Holds Panel Discussion at CREATE Conference

2016 May 4

More than 250 talented students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented research and creative work at the university's second annual CREATE conference this past April. CREATE stands for Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern, and is the university's premier, academic year-end showcase. At the culminating event, students of all majors presented professional posters, live music, dance performances, artwork, photography, documentaries and panel discussions.

Mikayla Zagata '16 of Hamden, who majors in English, presented research in a panel discussion. Zagata's panel, conducted alongside three classmates, was titled "Writing For Young Adults."

"Books like 'The Divergent' series, 'The Outsiders,' the 'Harry Potter' series, and 'The Chocolate War' have touched the lives of many young adults and teenagers through school or by looking at the New Books section in their local library," said the students in a joint statement. "These authors become well-known and continue to be read because their topics relate to the youth in spite of fantastical settings or extraordinary circumstances and also because of their caliber of writing. Writing for young adults is different from writing normal fiction or writing for children, as the genre possesses unique opportunities and difficulties. This panel was meant to elaborate on the experience and the type of processes that involve writing for young adults. Questions about the components of the genre and subgenres, challenges that the genre poses to writers overall, and the importance of peer review in terms of writing were addressed. We spoke about our independent work and reflected on the challenges of the writing process: research conducted in order to complete their respective stories, the development of our writing styles through revision, and maintaining a youthful narrator."

Remarking on the variety of presentations, Professor Dickson Cunningham, conference co-chair, said, "CREATE encapsulates the essence of the liberal arts in one afternoon. It is an intellectual smorgasbord."

Speaking to the value of CREATE, Eastern President Elsa Nunez said, "It takes a very strong and dedicated student to produce this quality of work, and it's important for other students to see this output." Praising the faculty, she added, "It takes a committed and skillful mentor to guide students to the work that is on display. Mentorship is such an integral part of undergraduate research."

During the one-day conference, the Student Center crawled with artistic and scholarly activity. Students in professional attire addressed their peers, faculty and family. In the cafe, ensembles performed; in the theatre, student-produced documentaries were shown; in the Betty R. Tipton Room, aisles of posters depicting scientific research were displayed; across the hall, a gallery-worth of paintings lined the walls; and on the ground floor, panel discussions and oral presentations about the humanities took place.

In celebration of students' exemplary research, experiential learning and creative activity, CREATE serves to reinforce high-impact practices such as mentored research; increases the number of students presenting their work in a professional forum; raises public awareness of Eastern's liberal arts mission and student accomplishments; and contributes to the intellectual richness of the campus community.