Pictured (Quiz Bowl Team: Alexia Lakeman, Elana Harris and Ariana Benson. Research Presenters: Maxine Ford, Melaine Ferdinand-King and Abiana Adamson)
Melaine Ferdinand-King:
… a wonderful opportunity for African- American honors students to convene in fellowship, attend professional and graduate school workshops, and present new research. As a New Jersey native and Sociology major, I was especially grateful for the opportunity to present research I developed this past summer under the advisement of Dr. Alford Young, Jr., Chair of Sociology at the University of Michigan. My study focused on African-American men and women in Camden, New Jersey, and how they conceive the world of work and social mobility through the lens of race, class, gender, and personal history. Entitled “Conceptions of the World of Work: Perspectives of Camden, New Jersey – based African-Americans,” my research objective was to produce a new understanding of how individuals in underrepresented communities experience the world of work and unemployment in inner cities. The organization of the annual conference is a significant promotion of both academic and cultural excellence. I am proud to call myself a Black scholar and honors student.
Maxine Ford
…an experience like no other. I was able to share my research on “The Importance of Drama Education in Public Elementary Schools,” and gain insight on how to further pursue my research. I decided on this topic after I discovered that only 4% of public elementary schools in America have drama education programs. I was very proud of my research presentation, excited to receive positive feedback from my peers, and impressed by the phenomenal work of other undergraduate presenters. Their research introduced me to ideas, theories, and materials that were entirely new to me. Not only was this conference intellectually stimulating, it was also fun. I attended etiquette-infused luncheons, a career fair and a gala. I met other HBCU honors students and networked with graduate school representatives and companies. I would encourage my fellow Honors Spelmanites to attend this conference. It is three days that you will not forget!
Abiana Adamson
…a wonderful experience for two distinct reasons. First, I was able to polish my public speaking skills, present my own scientific research —a study on improved survival rates to adulthood of children born with congenital heart disease—and heighten my ability to field questions related to my research. Secondly, I was able to connect with a broad network of individuals including undergraduate students, graduate schools, and employers from across the country. The conference broadened my perspective about the scope of research pursuits and allowed me to foster new friendships.
Dan Bascelli on the Quiz-Bowl competition:
“Our Spelmanites let the competition know that we knocked on the door this first year of our competition in the NAAAHP Quiz Bowl Tournament – next year we are knocking it down!”
Spelman Honors Program Director Opal Moore encouraged the Honors students trained by Quiz-Bowl coach, Dan Bascelli, to put together a team to enter the 2016 NAAAHP competition. Ariana Benson, Alexia Lakeman, Milan Moshay and Elana Harris stepped forward to compete for the Jaguars. When one of their original four discovered she could not travel to Nashville, the Jaguars team members decided to compete short-handed!
Twelve schools entered the tournament, each with teams of four players. They competed to answer 10-point toss-up questions and 20-point bonus questions. The tournament structure consisted of a 3-game round-robin segment followed by play-offs to determine the champion. The Spelman Jaguars were the sole undefeated team in the round robin.
Going into the playoffs, the teams, in order of standings were: Spelman College, Southern University New Orleans, Tuskegee University, Florida A & M University, Bowie State University, Tennessee State University, North Carolina Central University, Alabama A & M University, Miles College, and Jackson State University.
In the play-offs, Spelman prevailed over the Bowie State University team to win the semi-final game and faced off against the number 2 ranked team, Southern University New Orleans. In an extremely close and hard fought championship match that went down to the last question, The Jaguars won by 10 points, – unfortunately, it was the SUNO Jaguars.
We congratulate the NAAAHP Quiz Bowl Tournament Champions, the SUNO Jaguars, and thank all the other teams who made the tournament weekend so much fun for everybody. Special thanks also to Dr. Miglietta and Dr. McGinnis of Tennessee State University for organizing and hosting the Tournament. Finally, many kudos are due to Ariana Benson, Alexia Lakeman and Elana Harris for playing so well and representing Spelman College so honorably.
Accompanying the students were Honors Program Coordinator, Cynthia Cooke and HP enthusiast Dana Pride-Jones (Program Coordinator for the Women’s Research and Resource Center) for supporting the team and getting us all out there to play!
Quiz Bowl Coach Dan Bascelli (dbascell@spelman.edu) adds: “If you are smart, quick-thinking and you love fast-paced competitive game play, come to one of our Spelman College Quiz Bowl team meetings, every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6 PM in the Writing Center, 3rd floor Cosby. It’s great fun, and you’ll make great friends!”