MACON, Ga. — Ten Mercer University communications studies students recently won the Student Involvement Champion award for the highest student involvement from a university at the Georgia Communication Association (GCA) Conference at West Georgia University.
The group of undergraduate students were chosen to present at the conference as a part of the Communication Research Theory Lab, which consisted of four lab members and six students interested in or pursuing a communication studies major.
The group gave eight presentations and attended every conference session as well as the film festival. The conference provided the students an opportunity to gain experience with the research process, conference applications and presenting for a new audience. It also allowed many of the students interested in attending graduate school to learn more about what graduate school research may look like.
Dr. Cameron Kunzelman, assistant professor of communication studies and lab director for the group, assisted the students with the application and research process.
“Winning the 2025 Student Involvement Champion award at the GCA conference this year attests to the research skills that our students develop in both the communication studies degree program and in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” he said. “The award demonstrates that our students have the abilities and the confidence to present alongside graduate students and professional academics, and they have those things because of the culture we have been able to build here at Mercer University that values and cultivates those skills.”
Students who attended the conference said presenting and viewing research from their peers allowed them to learn more about the communications field and helped them grow more confident in presenting in a new academic setting.
“The GCA conference was such a great opportunity to not only be able to research and pursue an academic interest outside of class, but it was also an excellent opportunity to work on presenting research and preparing for grad school applications,” said Katie Volz, a junior majoring in communication studies and English.
Alisha Mitchell, a junior majoring in journalism and political science, said she hopes to attend the conference again. “Attending the GCA conference not only allowed me to step out of my comfort zone as a student but also in an academic environment,” she said. “It was so amazing to see other academics from graduate students, and undergraduate students share their passion.”
Featured Photo: Katie Volz (’26), Lucy Roach (’25 ), Rajwol Chapagain (‘26), Maret McWhorter (‘26); Ophelia Jones (‘25), Emma Page (‘25), Kennedy Jenkins (‘27), Jina Athakhanh (‘25), Alisha Mitchell (‘26), and Nicole Nelson (‘25) recently won the Student Involvement Champion award for the highest student involvement from a university attended at the Georgia Communication Association (GCA) Conference at West Georgia University. Photo courtesy Katie Volz.
