Christopher Green’s passion for history and sports inspired the UNC Pembroke senior to dive deeply into minor league baseball logos.
Green recently shared his months-long research with more than 240 scholars, professionals and students who gathered for the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers (SEDAAG) meeting in Norfolk, Va.
“Being able to present my research on the national level has been an amazing experience,” Green said. “This opportunity will hopefully provide me more opportunities in the future, whether in the workforce or more academic settings such as grad school.”
Green is one of eight REACH Fellows afforded national exposure and networking at conferences throughout the fall semester. Established in 2019, the REACH (Research Engagement Action Community Humanities) program supports students from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in pursuing a career in academia. The program––funded by the Mellon Foundation––covers travel and graduate school entrance exams. Students are assigned a faculty mentor to assist them in developing their projects.
Kayla Wingfield benefited immensely by presenting her project on labor exploitation of American and migrant children at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity (SNURCS) Symposium at Wingate University.
“I enjoyed my experience overall,” Wingfield said. “The conference allowed me to present my work and see what other students were doing. I met others who were also interested in child labor and its complexities. I had amazing conversations with students and attendees who gave me meaningful advice, new resources and encouragement.”
Other REACH Fellows who presented multi-dimensional research at conferences were:
- Elizabeth Chavis also attended the SNURCS conference, presenting her research on the perceptions of risk factors for child maltreatment and social service utilization in Robeson County.
- Kiki Cohen, Jenna Humble and mentor Dr. Matthew Schneider, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, offered presentations at the Mid-South Sociological Association in New Orleans.
- Teresa Fernandez led a 45-minute workshop at the 11th annual First Gen Summit at Babson College.
- Ahelayus Oxouzidis, Unmai Arokiasamy and REACH program director Dr. Michele Fazio presented their work on creating a new Indigenous archive at the Oral History Association annual meeting in Baltimore.
- Fazio also presented at the National Humanities Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Additionally, Fazio was invited to participate in “Rewriting America: Reconsidering the Federal Writers' Project 80 Years,” a symposium held at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC that brought together leading scholars in the fields of history, folklore, cultural studies and media. She presented “Teaching the Federal Writers' Project: A Study of Class, Labor, and Region” and discussed the development of a new public humanities project in the REACH program.
