Eighty-eight students will present their creative and/or research work, most of whom are in Wilkinson College, on Saturday, November 16  as part of the Border Conference and will conclude the semester-long exploration dedicated to issues and topics around the border.

“I love thinking that these young students will get to be part of a rich, expertise focused conversation on these tough issues,” said Dr. Lisa Leitz (Delp-Wilkinson Professor of Peace Studies and a lead coordinator of La Frontera-The Border).

One of those presenters is Wilkinson’s own Political Science Administrate Assistant, Talisa Flores. Flores is currently taking classes towards a degree in History. She submitted her paper titled, “Forgotten Migrants: An Exploration of Indigenous Migration Across the U.S./Mexico Border.”

“I am excited to gain more experience in research, writing, and presenting,” said Flores when asked about what it means to be apart of this research conference. “As a staff member it makes me proud that Wilkinson College is always at tThe forefront of humanitarian issues that usually get pushed to the back-burner. But as a Latina, I am excited that this was chosen as a topic for the semester because it brings new dimensions to the migrant/immigrant/Latinx story that are usually not heard,” she said.

The students will present in all types of forms, such as poster, oral, multimedia, art, and literary readings.

Student Jacky Dang (’20 Screenwriting and Peace Studies Major) is presenting her documentary “Invisible Narratives” which is explores how Hollywood stereotypes have affected Asian American women. She interviewed over 12 women, both first generation and second generation.

“I was able to explore not only my own culture and find other people who were facing similar issues but also as a whole panethnicity. It made me understand that these stereotypes were a larger problem within America. Being able to capture emotions through ethnographic research is a journey I would never take back and I’m excited to present our findings,” said Dang.

“I hope we can use La Frontera as a model for what Wilkinson can do to help our campus wrestle with tough issues,” said Dr. Leitz.  “So many people pulled together to make this a success—and I’m calling it a success before the conference even begins because of the learning that has already happened from the connected courses and twelve events that have already happened,” said Dr. Leitz.