Welcome to the 2021 Virtual Graduate Research Symposium! The Graduate School is excited to host this year's event - our 13th symposium - with 54 entries in three different competition categories: poster, research paper, and 3 Minute Thesis (3MT). Our virtual event is scheduled to take place Tuesday, April 20th at 5:30 pm. This year, we feature projects from the following graduate programs: Business Administration, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Elementary Education, English, Exercise and Sport Administration, History and Social Studies Education, Professional School Counseling, Public Administration, Science Education, and Social Work.
For each symposium participant, you will find a link to the submitted project and a link to the participant’s WebEx personal room, where you can join the participant to comment on his/her submission, ask follow-up questions, or simply pop in to say “hello.”
This year, we will award $500 to the first place, $200 to second place, and $100 to third place finishers in each of the competition categories.
And, on the behalf of The Graduate School and our symposium participants, many thanks to our faculty judges!
- Dr. Dan Parisian (Economics and Decision Sciences)
- Dr. Roger Ladd (English)
- Dr. Nicole Stargell (Counseling)
- Dr. Joe West (Economics and Decision Sciences)
- Dr. David Oxendine (Teacher Education)
- Dr. Sojin Jang (Political Science and Public Administration)
SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM (PDF)
Project Type: Papers
A Dilemma of Faith Resulting from the Crucible of Tragedy: The Less Told Story of the Struggles of Faith of Members of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies
Wesley Constandse
(History and Social Studies)
Barriers to Medication-Assisted Treatment: Recommendations for Professional Counseling Practice
Samantha Asfour
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Can Money Determine Happiness? A Regression Analysis on the Impact of Factors that Contribute to Happiness on Wealth
Sarah Shannon-Mohamed
(Public Administration)
Curriculum Used in Real World Experiences
Brittany Millson
(Elementary Education)
Malfoy, Draco Malfoy: Exploring Toxic Masculinity in Harry Potter
Elizabeth Gagne
(English Education)
Plant Extracts Stimulate the Autophagy-Lysosomal Pathway and Improve Synaptic Markers in a Brain Slice Model of Age-Related Protein Accumulation Stress
Michael Fernandes De Almeida
(BioTech Center)
Policy Paper: Solitary Confinement in American Prisons
Megan Smith
(Social Work)
The Effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Early Childhood Trauma
Brendan Bellavia
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Unified Development Ordinance Adoption and its Impact on Social and Economic Growth on Municipalities in North Carolina
Shauna Haslem
(Public Administration)
Without and Within: Secondhand Trauma in Cynthia Ozick’s “The Shawl”
Amelia Simpson
(English Education)
This year, we have 10 research papers that were entered into the research paper competition. These papers will be judged on the basis of their originality, clarity of the thesis statement and purpose, the overall quality of writing, the appropriateness of evidence and conceptual/theoretical framework, and the work's contribution to the body of knowledge in a particular field.
Project Type: Posters
A Brief Overview of the Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa during Adolescence: A Primer for Elementary School Teachers, Counselors, and Administrator
Brittany Chess
(Professional School Counseling)
ALEC Influence on Policy Making
Amanda Gallavan
(Public Administration)
Black LGBTQ+ Identified Young Adults in the Southeast United States Experiences of Identity Disclosure Within Their Family Systems
Sha'nee Wasson
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools
Amelia Gillette
(Professional School Counseling)
Combating Vicarious Trauma Through the Use of Exercise for Self-Care
Brittany Coulsting
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Coping with the Death of a Parent
Jennifer Kerekes
(Professional School Counseling)
COVID-19: Working Remote
Tia Clement
(Business Administration)
Daily Positive Affirmations and School Pledges in Creating Student Success
Ashley Hunt
(Professional School Counseling)
Effectively Helping Young People Achieve Their Potential: An Overview of Recent Research Findings
Kaceia McDonald
(Professional School Counseling)
Global Flood Myths: An Evolution of Scholarship
David Pearce II
(History and Social Studies)
Harm Reduction: What's the Fuss?
Anthony Rose
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Importance of Positivity In Schools
Kayla Kerns
(Professional School Counseling)
Intellectual Disabilities in School-Aged Children
Michelle Martin
(Professional School Counseling)
Interparental Conflict and Adolescents' Social-Emotional Development
Crismira Egerton
(Professional School Counseling)
Making a “Paws”itive Impact “Fur” Our Students
Toni Spell
(Professional School Counseling)
Mindfulness and Goal Attainment as a Performance Measure in Student-Athletes and Traditional Students at a Rural Division II College
Lauren Werner
(Exercise & Sports Administration)
Minorities Too!
Imani Coleman
(Elementary Education)
Pines, Swamps and Fields: A Geographic Study of the Tory War 1781
Andrew Diemer
(History and Social Studies)
Predicting School Counseling Student Success Through Non-Cognitive Factors
Avvette Smith
(Professional School Counseling)
Psychological Well-Being and Goal Attainment in College Student-Athletes
Kathryn Fonseca
(Exercise & Sports Administration)
Relationship Between Athletic Ability and Motivation
Ean Ormsby
(Exercise & Sports Administration)
Science Self-Efficacy in Undergraduate Non-Major Community College Students Using Citizen Science Projects
Steven Brown
(Science Education)
Short-Term Study Abroad Widens Horizons
Laura McAliley
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Signs of Suicide: Suicide Prevention Program Among Middle School Students
Keschia Daussy
(Professional School Counseling)
Students Reasoning to Pursue an MBA Degree
Ethan Gardner
(Business Administration)
Terror Management Theory and its Effect on North Carolinians During COVID-19
Guy Silva
(Business Administration)
The Achievement Gap & the Effects of COVID-19
Emily DeSpain
(Professional School Counseling)
The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on the Academic Performance of Students in Grades K-12
Alexis Nappier & Paula Knox
(Professional School Counseling)
The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on the Academic Performance of Students in Grades K-12
Paula Knox & Alexis Nappier
(Professional School Counseling)
The Effects of Incarcerated Parents on School Aged Children
Jennifer Stewart
(Professional School Counseling)
The Effects of Mindfulness Practices Within the Classroom on Academic Achievement
Mackenzie Pereira & Haley DeLiberto
(Professional School Counseling)
The Effects of Mindfulness Practices Within the Classroom on Academic Achievement
Haley DeLiberto & Mackenzie Pereira
(Professional School Counseling)
The Effects of Social Media on Adolescent’s Body Image
Kaylyn Fourtunia
(Professional School Counseling)
The Efficacy of Masks
Kristin Rimberg
(Business Administration)
The Impact of Covid-19 on the U.S.
Darius Whitted
(Business Administration)
The Impact of Research-Based Interventions on Academic Underachievement Among K-12 Students
Meagan Lowery
(Professional School Counseling)
Transformational Leaders: Addictive Personalities Leads to Mass Casualties
Brandy Geary
(Business Administration)
Undergraduate Students' Knowledge of Pollinators and Pollinator Conservation
James Locklear
(Science Education)
What Are We Missing?: Discussing Inclusion and Accessibility at UNC Pembroke
Emily Nick & Michelin Henderson-Maldonado
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
What Are We Missing?: Discussing Inclusion and Accessibility at UNC Pembroke
Michelin Henderson-Maldonado & Emily Nick
(Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
Women in Higher Education
Francesca Latorraca
(Exercise & Sports Administration)
Woodpecker Species as Bioindicators in Agricultural Landscapes
Timothy Hinton
(Science Education)
A poster presentation is a way to communicate your research or your understanding of a topic in a short and concise visual format. This year, we have 26 posters entered into the poster competition and additional 13 posters that are presented outside of the competition.
Project Type: 3MT
Impacts to Opportunities: The COVID-19 Pandemic and the U.S. Water Sector
Sarah Shannon-Mohamed
(Public Administration)
Student Experience in Faculty Led Study Abroad
Rachel Jacobs
(Professional School Counseling)
The Connection Between Parent Involvement and Student Success
Abigail Cain
(Elementary Education)
Treatment vs. Punishment: A Look Towards the Future
Alhaji Keith
(Social Work)
Women: An Underrepresented Asset in C-Suite Healthcare Roles in NC
Kristine Castelo
(Business Administration)
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a research communication competition that challenges graduate students to present their research in a compelling, three-minute speech, relaying the significance and relevance to a non-specialist audience. The time limitations force the presenter to consolidate their work and ideas. The first 3MT was held at the University of Queensland in 2008 with 160 graduate students competing. Today, the 3MT competition has grown to over 170 universities across more than 17 countries worldwide. UNCP hosted its annual 3MT event since 2017. This year, we have 5 competitors.