Ninth Annual Celebration of Student Achievement

The campus community kicked off another Celebration of Student Achievement on Wednesday, April 26, with an assortment of presentations imparted by some of TCNJ's finest.  The Celebration continued that Friday with poster presentations.

According to the event Web site, “the purpose of this event is to showcase student scholarly and creative work,” and give students the opportunity to share their work with the College community. 

The Celebration provided a forum for intellectual debate and discussion, and its content was a testament to the quality of the students at the College.

Senior Nicole Kukawski, the College’s own “Whitman girl,” presented her senior honors thesis titled, “The Pedagogue as Poet: Walt Whitman and the American Education System.”

After uncovering a long-forgotten 1888 Signal interview with the poet, Kukawski gained widespread recognition amongst fans of the writer’s work.  In her thesis, she examined Whitman’s work in the context of the development of the American educational system.

In his pedagogic writings, Whitman encouraged students to avoid writing poetry.  “I think he’s saying don’t do what I did.  It’s not going to make you a hero…I already did it.” Kukawski explained. 

"Whitman was very innovative…He made a tradition of being anti-tradition," said Kukawski. 

The History Department’s highlighted event was a presentation of papers by several of the department’s top students.

Kate Planer, a senior headed for Seton Hall University School of Law, presented a paper titled, “Justice for All or Just for Us?” which focused on American policies toward apartheid South Africa from 1977-1987, and their relations to realism and humanitarianism. 

Senior Matt Esposito presented a unique approach to the Crusades.  Honing in on the years 1100-1144, Esposito researched a largely unexamined position—Islamic cooperation during the period, as opposed to the more common portrayal of the Crusades as a “bloodbath.”

Wrapping up the presentation, senior Matt Richman, who will be attending the University of Pennsylvania graduate school, shared his ongoing project on gender roles in the Black Panther Party, portions of which have already won a number of awards.

Anthony DeCarlo also spoke briefly about Theodore Roosevelt’s Latin American policies.

A group of sociology students working with Rebecca Li, associate professor of sociology, presented a special research project on social policies in communist China.

Junior Kelly Dowd spoke on health care systems in China, and how differing facilities in rural and metropolitan areas create regional inequalities. 

Other topics included the relationships between workers and state relations and social space and politics, the role of religion in communism, geopolitics, and the incorporation of China’s business elite.

Dowd was thankful for the opportunity to share her acquired knowledge with the College community.  “The six girls in my research class worked really hard all semester,” she said.  “We were grateful to have our hard work acknowledged.”

The Art Student Exhibition in the Holman Hall gallery was one of the Celebration’s highlights.  Featuring some of the College’s best student art in a variety of mediums, the exhibition ran from Wednesday, April 19 through Wednesday, April 26.

To for the full list of subject areas and topics present, please visit http://www.tcnj.edu/~celebrat/program.htm