Madeline Brainerd, Ally Bruner, Brady Housley, Davis Kyser, Michael Liyengo, Rob Neill, Juda Ortega, Jonathan Paz Perez, Emma Reineke, Jacob Richardson & Lwam Tesfamicael

Beyond Labels: Excavating Identity and Culture at Bushnell University

This interactive exhibit explores identity and belonging within the Bushnell University community through student-led cultural excavation. Inspired by Dr. Paul Metzger’s talk on insignia, impulse, iPhones, and industry, students interviewed key stakeholder groups—athletes, commuters, faculty/staff, and administrators—and created artifacts reflecting their findings. The exhibit features a bookshelf display of these artifacts with explanatory paragraphs, a polaroid photo collage, statistical data, and a short film compiling voices from the campus. This Living Cultural Museum invites viewers to consider what it means to be seen beyond labels and to celebrate the richness of our shared identity. 

BTM/HIST 207/307, Back to the Future – Theologies of Culture

Stephen Andes & Agam Iheanyi-Igwe

11:30 – Noon

Pomajevich Lobby

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Madeline Brainerd

WWI Nursing in Literature vs. Real Life Experiences

Real WWI nurses experienced much more in comparison to the character Catherine Barkley and other nurses portrayed in A Farewell To Arms by William Faulkner. Real WWI nurses experienced strenuous and poor working conditions, mental health problems, gender discrimination, love, and loss.

I intend to argue my thesis by using examples from the novel A Farewell To Arms and comparing the characters’ experiences to real accounts from WWI nurses. I will be using articles written about WWI nurses, first hand accounts, and letters. I will also be using peer reviewed articles analyzing the novel I am using, which will help explain examples from the story. Topics that I will discuss are mental health, gender roles, and the overall experience of life as a war nurse. WWI nurses experienced many challenges, they witnessed horrific injuries and death, which the novel barely brushes the surface of. They also experienced adversities due to being a woman and how soldiers viewed them. The novel and some of the articles I am using, paint an interesting picture of how relationships between soldiers and nurses were at the time.

ENG 499, Senior Capstone

Connie Diffenderfer

Pomajevich 103

11:30 AM – Noon

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Madeline Brainerd

Child development and Reading Aloud Go Hand in Hand

My English service practicum has focused on the benefits of reading aloud with children. This presentation brings together scholarly research and my own experiences volunteering with students at the Creswell Clubhouse, which serves students ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade. The Clubhouse is a nonprofit afterschool and summer camp program for the kids of Creswell. As part of my English service practicum, I read aloud with them and help them with homework and packets provided by the program. Throughout the semester, I have been noting my observations, especially as they relate to the importance of reading aloud and how it enhances a child’s development. I am so grateful to have this opportunity because not every child experiences one-on-one reading time at school or at home. I have discovered just how important reading with children is, and how many benefits there are in doing so.

ENG 395, Service Practicum

Connie Diffenderfer

Bucher Room

10 AM – Noon

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