Among the 200-plus papers presented at the conference, one UOG student came away with an award — the only undergraduate presenter to do so, the other five awardees being established scholars.

“Our students presented their research side-by-side with some big names in the field of communication,” said Francis Dalisay, associate professor of communication. “The conference provided an invaluable experience for our students.”

Shannon Ada, who graduated with a bachelor’s in communication in May 2019, received the Park Award of Excellence in Research and a $1,000 prize for her study titled “WhatsApp Group Chats in the College Setting.” Her study uncovered five overarching types of WhatsApp group chats for college courses in Guam, including those with professors and those without.

“WhatsApp is such a normal way to communicate now, and I think the chain of endless groups chats we create is so interesting,” Ada said. “Having the opportunity to present my research in a professional setting, especially in a place like New Zealand, was unbelievable.”

Ada completed her research in the Capstone course of the Communication Program, CO-491 Current Issues in Communication, taught by Professor of Communication Lilnabeth P. Somera.

“The students choose a topic of interest to them,” Somera said. “I usually point out that we tend to rely on literature based on studies in communication from the U.S., Europe, or other places, so their Capstone project is an opportunity to collect original data about Guam and reduce the dearth of literature about our unique communication context.”

Communication major Salome Vuki co-presented with Dalisay, her professor and mentor, on two studies she did on factors such as inafa’maolek and incivility that could be promoting or inhibiting political engagement among young adults in Guam.

Recent graduate Sierra Reyes presented her paper, “How to be Friends with Friends: A Content Analysis of the Interpersonal Relationships among the Series’s Main Characters,” and a research paper on perceptions of transgender people by recent graduate Amanda Dedicatoria, who could not make the conference, was accepted and was presented by both Reyes and Ada.

Somera presented some of her own research as well on the processing of health information of Chuukese youth in Guam based on data from a cancer research grant that she is overseeing.

Somera said going off island and presenting their work is an important experience for students for many reasons.

“Students get exposure to the research community and see that their work goes beyond getting a grade in the classroom,” Somera said. “They have the opportunity to see how their work compares to scholars in the communication field and realize that their preparation at UOG makes them competitive with scholars from other universities in other countries.”

Additionally, off-island conferences can present graduate school opportunities for the students, she said, as well as expose students to a new culture for the first time and help students develop a sense of independence.