Although I have had the opportunity to present at regional and national conferences before, participating in the International Diversity Association annual conference was my first experience sharing my research with an international audience. I’ll admit, I was nervous. However, the audience members who attended my presentation were enthusiastic in their response to my work, and they offered significant feedback that I intend to implement in my future research.

Since I presented on the first day of the conference, I was able to relax afterwards and attend several different panels, including the talks offered by my fellow Panthers, Chris Lewis and Nicol Howard. I was highly impressed by both of their presentations, and I believe that we well-represented Chapman University and its College of Educational Studies.

I feel blessed to have had this incredible opportunity, and I wish to extend my thanks and gratitude to CES faculty members, particularly Dr. Alters, Dr. Hunter, and Dr. A. Wilson, for their feedback and support.
Although I have only been in Chapman’s Ph.D. program for a year, I have been welcomed into it like a family member; this is due to the encouragement I continuously receive. Thank you!