History of Undergraduates Scholarship

Undergraduate students majoring in Communication or Media Studies have presented their original research on campus, regionally, and nationally.  Benefits include completing and submitting original research to a campus, regional or national conference; creating and delivering a professional presentation to faculty and students; receiving feedback from scholars in the field; meeting other undergraduate scholars locally, regionally or nationally; learning about other’s research interests; and, learning about graduate studies.

2026

Angelina Standifird. (2026, Feb.) Whimsical Worlds and Mental Health.  Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Reno, NV. [Faculty Advisor: Alexandra Jackson]

2025

April 2025

Photo from World Social Science Association Seattle 2025 from left to right Angela Strong, Kyla Cunningham, Jaidyn Gutierrez, Dr. Elvis Nshom, and Tautinei Puaina.

November 2025

Photo from the Western States Communication Association Convention, Reno, NV. Feb 2025. Dr. Robert Gutierrez-Perez and Farah Rizvi posing after her presentation.

Farah Rizvi (2025). Unveiling Diverse Femininities: A South Asian Woman’s Journey of Othering and Un/Re/Learning Beauty. Presented at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Reno, NV. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Robert Gutierrez-Perez.]  Through an autoethnographic lens, this research explores how Eurocentric beauty standards and cultural "othering" shape the identity formation and self-perception of South Asian women in the Western diaspora. By blending personal narrative with decolonial feminist theory, the study documents a journey of unlearning internalized biases and reclaiming femininity as a form of resistance against marginalizing social norms. Ultimately, this work highlights the power of storytelling as a vital tool for self-support and calls for greater intersectional representation within media and academic discourse.

2021

Robert Marks III (2021).  King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail: Its Merit Through Dramatism. Recipient of the 2020-21 CSUSM University Library Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling]

Ariana Null, The Hobbit’s Embrace of Diverse Men. Recipient of the 2020-21 CSUSM University Library Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling]

2020

Photo from the Western States Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO Feb. 2020. L to R: Liliana Hernandez, A. Pena, C. Balderas, Dr. Holling, N. Haining, and K. Mavers.  

Cynthia Balderas (2020). Ideological Feminist Criticism and Queer Politics in Juana Inés Netflix Series. Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling]

Nicole Haining (2020). Red Dead Redemption 2: The New Age of the Western. Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling].

Liliana Hernandez (2020). Precious Knowledge: Recentering Injustices in Latin@ Education. Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling].

Kevin Mavers (2020).  Ideographic Analysis of Net Neutrality Discourse.  Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling].

Angelica Peña (2020). Protectionist to Collectivist Familia Structures: Reimagining Chicano Barrio Masculinity in La Mission. Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO. Awarded Top Four Paper  [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling].

2019

Photo from Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research, San Marcos, CA, fall 2019. L to R: A. Peña, Dr. Holling, and L. Hernandez.

Autumn Destarac-Saldana (2019). Queering the Wolverine: A Nepantlera Reading of Logan. Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA. Awarded LPE Top Undergraduate Paper [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Antonio De La Garza]

Sara Freitag (2019). "This is for the Women: Disrupting Patriarchy Through Poetry. Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling]

Liliana Hernandez and Angelica Peña, each presented their research at the Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research, San Marcos, CA. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michelle A. Holling].  

J. Montes (2019). The Subtle Inconsistencies: An investigation on punk rock and its relationship to racial discrimination. Presented at the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Antonio De La Garza]

Stephen Vandereb, Kendra Dyanne Rivera, and Cheryl Berry (2019). Waiting for a Like: Exploring Social Media and Mental Health Amongst College Students. Presented at the Western States Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA. [Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kendra Rivera]

 

 

Photo from the Western States Communication Association Convention in Seattle, WA Feb. 2019. L to R: Autumn Destarac-Saldana, Dr. Antonio De La Garza and J Uriel Montes.