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Throughout the day, students will present research covering all areas of the liberal arts education, along with an honors music recital from 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon in Rammelkamp Chapel, an art exhibit in IC’s Woodcock Gallery in the McGaw Fine Arts Building from 2-3 p.m., and an honors convocation in Rammelkamp Chapel from 3-4 p.m. 

Students and faculty will be awarded for excellence and innovation in academics, service and teaching. Recognition is given to the student marshals for the following year, seniors who qualify as Phi Beta Kappa graduates, the Julian Monson Sturtevant Campus Leadership Award winners, the Harry Joy Dunbaugh Distinguished Professor Award and the Don P. Filson Faculty Award for Vision for the Future.

Below are a few of the Illinois College students who will be presenting their work as part of this year’s Celebration of Excellence.  

Allie McNamara ’18 | International Studies, Political Science, Spanish major 
Presenting: “Can Motherhood Drive Feminism?: The Case of Las Madres de La Plaza de Mayo in Argentina” 
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Steven Gardner, Francis McReynolds Smith Professor of International Understanding and Professor of World Languages and Cultures (Spanish) 
Hometown: Pleasant Plains, Illinois 

McNamara says that the most meaningful experience she had as an IC student has been studying abroad in Buenos Aires. The experience also influenced another important undertaking for the senior in the research project she is presenting at the Celebration of Excellence. 

McNamara’s research centers around the 30-year history of human rights group, Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo, and the effect the organization has had on the women’s movement in the country of Argentina. McNamara argues that while the group was not founded, nor does it identify as a feminist organization, their work has had a positive effect on the status of women in Argentina by “giving space for increased female participation and changing political culture in the country.”

After graduation, McNamara will travel to Japan to conduct research on environmental policy through a grant from the Henry Luce foundation. She hopes to work with a human rights organization in her future career. 

“I really want to build a career working internationally and I also have a passion for justice and promoting peace, so working with human rights will allow me to pursue those goals,” she said. Her research and the experiences she’s had presenting her work to others has helped prepare her for her future. 

“There are so many skills that I can apply to my future career like critical analysis, attention to detail and the ability to formulate new ideas while integrating existing concepts,” said McNamara. “The ability to synthesis your work and convey your findings to others is very useful. Without the ability to communicate information, your work wouldn’t serve its full purpose.”

McNamara’s presentation will take place in Kirby Learning Center, room 110, from 9:30-9:45 a.m.

Ryan Golab-Vice ’19  | Communication and rhetorical studies 
Presenting: “New York Times Portfolio Project”
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Adrienne Hacker Daniels, professor of communication and rhetorical studies 
Hometown: Jacksonville, Illinois 

One word that Golab-Vice uses to describe his research project: “daunting.” The project he worked on required him to analyze hundreds of articles spanning every issue of the New York Times published over a semester.

Golab-Vice worked in a group that included Caleb Crawford ’20 of Springfield, Ill., Haley Coble ’18 of Lincoln, Ill., and Mikaela Morrison ’19 of Carlinville, Ill. Together, he and his group meticulously pored over almost 70 issues of the publication, locating, classifying and preserving in a portfolio each article that related to the media. 

Golab-Vice says there were many lessons he took away from the experience. 

“I was able to understand the development of our technology and media and how it progressed to what it is today,” he said. “It opened my eyes to the media on not only a global scale, but on a personal level, since I was shown how the media plays such a major role in my life.”

Golab-Vice took the same mentality toward completing research as he has taken with the long hours he works in the athletic department at IC. 

“Athletics is where my career lies, but I want the professors to see me how the coaches do; someone who is hard working, driven and gives the extra ounce of energy. That's what my goal was,” he said. 

He says the lessons he learned in overcoming adversity to complete this project will influence him in future endeavors.

“At any point in the future, I have the mindset that I can accomplish any goal, because I was able to successfully complete such a tremendous amount of work,” said Golab-Vice. “I plan on keeping my portfolio with me wherever I go in life, so I can always have the reminder there that I can not only overcome a daunting obstacle, but absolutely plow through it.”

Golab-Vice will present his work alongside his research partners in the Pratt Classroom located in Schewe Library at 8:50-9:45 a.m. 

Maximillian Valdez ’18 | Theatre major  
Presenting: Theatre Senior Showcase 
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Nancy Taylor Porter, professor of theatre
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Valdez will present a culmination of his theatre work while at IC, both what he has learned about performing onstage and about the theatre. 

“I've learned that theatre has been used as a tool to change social understandings and to even shape the world we live in,” said Valdez, who strives to leave a positive impact through his work. 

As a student, Valdez has been actively involved in theatre on campus and in the community. One memorable experience for him was performing for area youth at a children’s show where he played the of Captain Hook. Valdez said he loves the healthy competitive nature of performing and says it has challenged him to improve his skills while at Illinois College. He hopes to continue entertaining after graduation. 

“I have grown in many ways into this profession and world where I think I can continue to grow and keep doing it,” he said. 

Valdez will present his work at 1-1:30 p.m. in the Icebox Theatre in Kirby Learning Center. 

Eric Hammitt ’18 | English major
Presenting: “Postcolonial Topics and Modern Ireland: A Brief History and Analysis of Literature and Culture in England’s First Colony”
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Lisa Udel, associate professor of English and gender and women's studies, and Dr. Naomi Hahn, A. Boyd Pixley Professor of Humanities (English)
Hometown: Pittsfield, Illinois

Through his study of the Irish Gaelic language, Hammitt works to create a portrait of Ireland that “preserves the beauty and remembers the pain of the Irish.”

He explores how the dying language represents an avenue for better understanding of the country. 

“The Irish Gaelic language is an avenue to culture, community, literature, idealism, and history of a nation thousands of years old, that could all be lost,” said Hammitt. 

Hammitt wasn’t interested in studying postcolonial theory and its related issues until he  started his senior seminar and realized the how valuable the studies could be for understanding modern cultures and political systems. Not only did his research help him develop as a scholar, he says its had an impact on him as a person with the ability to have a deeper understanding of the world. 

“Research and understanding of a topic is always a good muscle to work out … the knowledge I've gained I hope to share and exemplify in my future work.” he said. 

Hammitt will present his work at 1:20-1:35 p.m. in the Pratt Classroom located in Schewe Library. 

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For additional details about Celebration of Excellence presentations and activities, visit www.ic.edu/celebrationofexcellence.