Florida Southern College students travelled to Hilton Head, S.C., to present their research at the Southeastern Psychological Association’s 68th Annual Meeting.
The conference was an opportunity for students to network and learn about research being conducted in the field of psychology. Florida Southern’s Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences facilitated the experience for the students. The Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) was the department’s first large scale in-person conference since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ten students attended the conference along with faculty members Dr. Leilani Goodmon-Riley, Associate Professor of Psychology; Dr. Melanie Fowler, Assistant Professor of Education and Doctor of Education Program Coordinator; Dr. Patrick Smith, Professor of Psychology; and Dr. Lisa Carter, Associate Professor of Criminology.
Dr. Goodmon-Riley said students and faculty from Florida Southern had nine poster presentations and gave two lectures. Students had to submit their research in the Fall semester and go through the peer review process before being accepted to present at the conference.
“Our students do a really good job at conferences like these,” Dr. Goodmon-Riley said. “Other people are surprised they are undergraduates. It was phenomenal.”
The conference was an incredible hands-on learning opportunity for Hope Geraghty ’22, a psychology major, who said the experience helped her grow as a student and researcher. Hope and her research partner, Livi Schalk ’23, presented on “Reactions to Teachers’ Responses of Bullied Students with Behavioral Differences”.
“I learned how to talk to other researchers and how to present my research in a more effective way,” Hope said.
Poster presentations ranged from how college students utilize social media to communicate, to meme-centered pedagogy.
Two students, Kira Freijo ’22 and Brianna Duncan ’21, shared their poster on “Problematic Portrayals: Mental Illness and Violence in TV Shows” during the first night of the conference at the poster sampler.
It is an honor to present at the first poster session of the conference because SEPA picks posters of high interest, according to Dr. Goodmon-Riley.
Student Government Association President, Allen Shorey ’22, attended the conference with his research partner and fellow presenter Dante Sheerin ’23.
Their poster presentation was titled, “Role Models with Bottles: An Analysis of Exposure to Alcohol Branding in Music Videos”.
“The experience was incredible,” Allen said. “It was so great to learn about some of the most current and pressing issues and what people are doing to combat them through psychological research.”
Although the conference is an incredible opportunity to learn about what is actively being researched in the field of psychology, it is also an essential engaged-learning experience for FSC Mocs.
“Students are competing for jobs and placement in graduate school, and these experiences provide a way for them to stand out,” Dr. Goodmon-Riley said.
While other students may have comparable GPAs or Graduate Record Examination scores, Florida Southern students are extremely marketable because of their experiences with research and hands-on training.
Attending a conference or another form of experiential learning allows students to enhance their skills in teamwork, leadership, time management, and creativity.
“Sticking with a project from start to finish says a lot about their work effort and conscientiousness,” Dr. Goodmon-Riley said. “They are doing way more than the minimum.”
Go Mocs! 
Learn more about engaged learning at FSC.