Jennifer Hadra, of Gladstone, MI, a junior mass communication student, was one of 77 undergraduates who presented a paper at the Southeastern Regional Undergraduate Honors Conference in Tampa, FL, in early April.

Hadra's paper, titled "Ethnographic Reflections from a 'Yooper News' Internship Experience," was chosen for presentation in the Studies in Mass Media panel of the conference. Dr. J. Dean Farmer, assistant professor of mass communication, accompanied Hadra to the conference.

"I was a bit nervous because I had no idea how my presentation would compare to the other people's presentations on my panel," Hadra said. "However, I felt confident about the way things went. People asked me many questions, and I received a lot of positive feedback."

The conference represented a chance for people in the profession to converge and discuss issues that are pertinent to today's mass communication field. Hadra and Farmer flew to Tampa on March 31, where they attended panels and discussion forums on various aspects of the mass communication profession for the next four days.

"Jennifer Hadra was presenting with students from much larger programs, including the University of Kentucky and George Washington University," Farmer said. "She more than held her own and her paper generated more discussion interest than the other three combined."

Hadra is one of nearly 140 students in the mass communication program at Campbell. She is sports editor for The Campbell Times and is involved in academic clubs such as the Public Relations Student Society of America and the Epsilon Pi Eta honor society.

She said she felt her experience in Tampa was beneficial because it not only allowed her to see how she compared academically to students at schools around the nation, but it also allowed Campbell to gain recognition.

"There were people from the University of North Carolina, Penn State, and other well-respected universities in attendance," said Hadra. "Lots of people asked me where Campbell was and what we represented as an institution."

Hadra also added that she received many good future research and study ideas at the conference, and she plans to submit a paper for presentation at next year's conference as well.

Founded in 1887, Campbell University is North Carolina's second largest private institution of higher education and the second largest Baptist university in the world. Located in Buies Creek, NC, just east of the center of the state, Campbell combines academic excellence and Christian commitment.

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