Hosted annually since 1973, the Southern Regional Honors Conference brings together honors students, faculty, and staff for networking and knowledge sharing. The Southern Regional Honors Council supports honors education across 11 states and is dedicated to advancing academic excellence, leadership, and community engagement.
Catawba students presented across a wide range of disciplines, reflecting the strength of the College’s Honors Program and its emphasis on inquiry, research, and engaged learning.
The following Catawba students presented at the conference:
Oral Presentations
Jennie Conner, theater arts design and production — “From Corn to Coal: Appalachia’s Natural Resource Reliance”
Phoebe Dell’Arena, environment and sustainability, with a double concentration in leadership and planning and natural resource management — “Interpreting Ecclesiastes for the Secrets to the Most Meaningful Life”
Julian Beltran Bamaca, recreational therapy — “Something More than Ink: Addressing & Reshaping American Labor to Empower People with Disabilities”
Mason McLain, advertising and branding — “Likes, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Engagement: The Algorithmic Age of American Presidential Campaigning”
Keating Lamson, English, with a concentration in public and professional writing — “Vampirism, African Colonialism, and the European Fear of Reverse Colonization”
Megan Nowak, environment and sustainability, with a concentration in policy and advocacy — “From Trend to Tragedy; How Technology and Social Media has Fueled the Growth of Fast Fashion”
Ila Deese, theater arts, with a concentration in directing and devising — “Witch Hunt!: Is Political, Feminist Theater Affective in the Age of Trump?”
Rachel Davis, environment and sustainability, with a concentration in policy and advocacy, and political science, with a concentration in pre-law — “When Policy Meets People: A Contemporary Analysis of Environmental Policy”
Poster Presentations
Mitchell Bobrek, environment and sustainability, with a concentration in natural resource management — “Leave Footprints, not Seeds: Easy Steps to Mitigating Further Invasive Spread”
Kiera Potts, environment and sustainability, with a double concentration in policy and advocacy and sustainable planning and leadership — “Advancing the Recovery and Recolonization of White Oaks in the Eastern United States”
Hannah Koopmans, English — “Belonging at a Cost: Cults, Family and Emotional Survival”
In addition to the student presenters, Catawba was also represented by Maria Vandergriff-Avery, director of the Catawba Honors Program, who moderated multiple conference sessions; Allison Tesh, program coordinator for the Catawba Honors Program; Norris Feeney, associate director of the Catawba Honors Program; Amal Ahmed, an Honors student majoring in environment and sustainability and economics and finance, who served as a moderator; and Nina Ross, an Honors student majoring in information systems, who attended the conference.
The students’ participation highlights Catawba College’s commitment to cultivating academic excellence and preparing students to contribute thoughtfully to their fields and communities.
