"Searching for bouyancy" was the theme for the 2024 Western Regional Honors Council Conference, hosted by the California State University Long Beach's Honors Program, and scheduled for March 28 and 29, 2024.
Participating in the Western Regional Honors Council conference was an experience that I will never forget, it gave me different valuable lessons that I am more than sure I will always carry with me.
I used to think that doing research was very difficult, and that to be considered “research” it was necessary to discover something. I learned about the conference from the honors program's newsletter, which mentioned the event as an opportunity to share knowledge and interests among students from other universities. That description caught my attention, but I didn't consider it something to do because it seemed very difficult. It was difficult for me to imagine myself in these types of events, because to be honest, I didn't consider that I could achieve it.
Having the support of Kathy and the program's peer mentors was what motivated me to participate in the conference. They explained to me how broad the scope of the research was and guided me through the process of how to carry out my project. I sent my proposal with a lot of fear and without hope that it would be accepted, but to my surprise it was. The process of creating my project involved a mix of different emotions, from happiness and excitement to fear and sadness. Many times I wanted to give up because I didn't feel that my project was interesting or “enough” to be considered research, but having the support of my mentors was what pushed me to keep going.
I learned a lot from this experience, both educationally and personally. The main thing I learned was that research is not necessarily discovering something, since that carries a very broad meaning. Another thing I learned was the importance of this type of event because it contributes to research and curiosity in students both about topics that interest them and new topics. Furthermore, thanks to this experience I managed to overcome some fears that I had, such as speaking in public and interacting with unknown people.
This experience taught me how important it is to have support, and how that influences self-confidence. I was able to learn about the great impact that programs, such as the honors program, have on the development of students. These types of programs help students continue developing their skills and have a support network that drives them to be better every day. If it had not been for the support that this program gave me at all times, I believe that I would not have been able to carry out the project, much less the presentation.
Before the day of the trip to Long Beach, I was really scared about my poster presentation. The main worry I had was that maybe my research wasn't any good, but so was the fact that I was afraid of speaking in public, even more so engaging in one-on-one conversations with people I don't know. I was afraid to talk to people and I was starting to think that maybe I hadn't prepared enough and that this probably wasn't for me.
The night before the conference we had a practice session. We meet to present our projects to each other, and we also have a round of questions and feedback for our presentations.
When it was my turn to present I felt a little nervous, but hearing everyone's words of encouragement helped me feel more confident. The questions that my classmates asked me helped me practice my answers, and some questions helped me complement information that I had not considered. One of the questions that one of my classmates asked me was asked by a conference attendee, and at that moment I realized how important it is to practice and consider different points of view. Being able to practice with my mentors, and classmates, Kathy Tran-Peters, Mike Young, and Dr. Sahar Al-Shoubaki gave me the confidence I needed, helped me feel more confident about my project, and helped me know that I can achieve great things.
I left Long Beach with more confidence in myself and more eager to continue researching. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of a program that motivates me and helps me be better every day, and that also helps me acquire skills that will not only be useful for my education but also my life. This experience helped me not be so afraid of speaking in public, something I never thought could be possible for me, and it helped me prepare for the other presentations that I had scheduled in the semester. I'm happy to say that this experience was nothing like other presentations I've had, in which I had a hard time speaking and felt my whole body shaking.
This experience left me with great memories and I hope to continue participating in these types of events, in which I can continue working on the topics that I like and share them with people. Also, the WRHC conference helped me further develop my research interest, so I am sure I will continue down that path.
I feel very proud of the project I presented, it is a topic in which I have felt a lot of interest, but I know that I can improve that study much more. One of the goals I set for myself, based on this experience, was to be able to improve my project, if possible to be able to put it into practice to be able to show the results. I am very excited about the idea of being able to carry out another investigation since it is something that I never imagined I could do. I know it will be difficult, but I firmly believe in the benefits that this study could bring.
I am infinitely grateful for this great experience, it has given me lessons that I know I will carry with me for a long time in the different areas of my life. I'm sure my old self would be very happy to know that I managed to do some research. I hope to continue participating in this type of event that will undoubtedly help me continue developing both in the educational and personal and professional fields. Finally, I hope that more people can learn about these types of events and are motivated to participate in them.