Five recent alumni from the University of Guam Communication program attended and presented their undergraduate research at the 11^th Biennial Convention of the Pacific and Asian Communication Association held this summer at the Universiti Putra Malaysia located near Putrajaya, Malaysia.

John Mugol, Jenika Ballesta, Mariah Ramos, Ashley Sablan, and Alissa Eclavea were among the only undergraduates to present at the conference attended by Asia’s most prominent Communication faculty, graduate students, researchers and professionals.  

“It was really fun and a good experience,” said Ballesta. “It gave me an opportunity to showcase my research at an international conference with people from different professions.”

Ballesta, whose research was based on her capstone project titled Assessing Fake People: A Study of Online Identities and Offline Relationships, won an award worth $300 for her oral presentation.

“I studied the differences between what people posted online and how they portray themselves offline,” she said. “I also studied if the formation and maintenance of relationships online were stronger than creating and maintaining them offline. When my name was called I was really surprised, but I’m really glad I won.”

Dr. Lilnabeth Somera, associate professor of communication, also won an award—the Excellent Oral Presentation Award— for her oral presentation of recent alumni Quenie Balagot’s research paper titled Nomophobia: The Relationship Between Mobile Phone Use and Academic Performance. Balagot was unable to attend the conference, and Somera presented on her behalf.

Somera, who for the last few years has taken her communication students to off-island conferences, believes it’s important for students to not only present their undergraduate research—based on their senior capstone projects—but also network and connect with others in their field of study from around the world.

“For the students, it broadens their view of the field,” she said. “It provides an opportunity for cross-national collaborations and makes the students go beyond writing a paper and getting a grade.”

Mugol—whose research was based on the experiences of nearly 20 years worth of former participants of the UOG Bali Field School—said after this conference, he felt more confident and encouraged to continue his research and postgraduate studies.

“I never thought I would attend a conference like this because I was nervous of presenting my topic,” he said. “This experience helped me practice my networking skills and connecting with professionals. Now, I want to do it again and present at another conference.”

See photos from the conference.