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MCC Daily Tribune

Honors Students Present at the Northeast Regional Honors Conference

On Saturday, April 1st, seven of our Honors students travelled to the 2023 Northeast Regional Honors Conference (NRHC) in Pittsburgh, PA to present their original work.

All of the students’ research was completed in the Honors sections of Professor Scott Rudd’s (English/Philosophy) Humanities courses, HMN 220 and HMN 221, and his HON 295 course, Justice and Prejudice.

For Professor Rudd, “This year’s group of Honors student-scholars exemplified professionalism, integrity, and rigorous academics over these three days in Pittsburgh. MCC should be proud of these students who wonderfully represented and distinguished our college and Honors Institute at this research conference. Please see the photos below if you have a moment.”

Please join me in congratulating the following students for their outstanding work:

  • Chiara Giraldo: “Shifting Focus: Examining the Role of STEM Faculty Representation in Community College Student Success”
  • Rebecca Soriano: “God the Mother and the Feminine Christ: Representations of the Madonna and Jesus as Divine Maternal Nurturers in Medieval and Renaissance Art”
  • Christopher Hoffarth: “Abolishing Retributive Sentencing: A Rehabilitative Alternative for a System Beyond Repair”
  • Isaiah Gonsalves: “Expressing the Inner Self Image: The Emotional Range of Rembrandt, van Gogh, Picasso, and Condo’s Self-Portraits”
  • Benjamin Renford: “Against the Death Penalty: Arguments of Deterrence”
  • Kathryn Hobbs: “Online Parasocial Relationships with Celebrities: The Psychological Drawbacks of Being a Major Fan”

Additionally, Rebecca Soriano and Summer Rodriguez had their art gallery submissions accepted and were two of four students invited to the “Using Art to Understand Tragedy and Beauty” roundtable. Rebecca and Summer are the first students to represent MCC for art at this conference.

Photo Captions:

  • Isaiah Gonsalves Presentation: Student, Isaiah Gonsalves, giving presentation standing between podium and screen.
  • Benjamin Renford Presentation: Student, Benjamin Renford, standing behind a podium presenting from a laptop.
  • Chiara Giraldo Presentation:  Student, Chiara Giraldo, speaking and pointing to a presentation from a laptop that is projected onto a screen.
  • Dinner in Pittsburgh:  MCC Students from the Conference gathered at a dinner table in Pittsburgh, PA.
  • Visit to Art Museum:  Interior shot of Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA.

Attached Files:
Isaiah Gonsalves Presentation.jpeg
Benjamin Renford Presentation.jpeg
Chiara Giraldo Presentation.jpeg
Dinner in Pittsburgh.jpg
Visit to Art Museum.jpeg

Thomas Blake
Honors Institute
04/13/2023