By Grant Hochmuth
The Warren Ballroom was filled with life as clusters of students moved between rows of posters, their conversations blending into a steady hum of curiosity and excitement. Displays lined the room, each representing a semester’s worth of work from first-year students.
The showcase serves as the culminating project for the Cardinal Foundation Seminar, a first-year requirement designed to help students adjust to college life while engaging with a subject of interest. Event coordinator Wendy Gordon spoke about the purpose of the event.
“It’s a chance for the students to show off what they’ve been working on for the semester, and a chance for the campus to see what happens in these seminars,” Gordon said.
According to Gordon, each course introduces students to college resources and skills, while also focusing on a specialized topic. The course topics vary, ranging from mythology and family history to storytelling with data, offering students an opportunity to explore different academic interests.
Gordon said she wants the course to encourage students to expand their perspectives.
“I hope it opens them up to the real diversity of experience that’s available to them,” Gordon said. “Theres a whole broader world of things they could do.”
First-year student Lillyana Vargas Bradshaw exhibited a display made for her seminar “Creative Fandom.” The display invited students to examine the cultural and social impact of their personal interests such as television shows or hobbies like baking and sports.
For the showcase, Bradshaw and her classmates combined individual vision boards into a collaborative mural that reflected a myriad of fandoms and perspectives.
“I feel like it just gave me the opportunity to be creative,” Bradshaw said. “It’s one of those classes where I’m excited to go.”
She said the course allowed her to learn about topics such as diversity, representation and community within fandom spaces while also helping her step outside her comfort zone.
“This course definitely gave me the chance to connect to people over things I may have been shy about,” Bradshaw said. “Some of us connected through our fandoms.”
Across the room, another group of students encouraged participation in a different way. First-year student Luke Buskey-Bouchard presented work from his seminar, “Everybody Has an Opinion,” a discussion based class centered on controversial and thought provoking topics.
His group’s display focused on issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence and gender. The display invited visitors to write their own opinions on sticky notes and add them to posters. The interactive element reflected the core of the course: Open dialogue.
“It allowed me to think more critically and communicate more with my peers,” Buskey-Bouchard said.
Buskey-Bouchard said the class created a space where students could engage with viewpoints in a respectful and constructive way.
“I feel like politics nowadays kind of lacks that appreciation for opinions,” Buskey-Bouchard said. “This class helps everyone understand each other’s perspectives.”
In a room filled with first year students, the event made one thing clear; college is not only about adjusting to a new environment, but discovering new interests, building confidence and learning how to share your voice.
