Mikayla Shaw, a senior double majoring in human service studies and public health, attended and presented twice at the 102nd annual American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Along with University Registrar Rodney Parks and two other staff members, Mikayla Shaw attended the 102nd AACRAO meeting in Phoenix in March to engage with enrollment management professionals, attend workshops and presentations and deliver two presentations of her own.
She presented a poster session titled “Disruptive Silence: Deepening Experiential Learning in the Absence of Technology.” Together with Parks and another student assistant, Shaw conducted qualitative research on students that participated in a study abroad program to New Zealand in January of 2015. During the 26-day trip abroad, the student participants were challenged to disconnect from all forms of technology, effectively “going off the grid.” The goal of the research was to gauge the effects of this sustained disconnection from technology in an unfamiliar setting on the learning process, as well as provide contextual recommendations to faculty members and professionals in Global Education, Student Life and Health Services.
Shaw also delivered a presentation titled “Transitioning Challenges for International Student Athletes,” in which she presented her research on inter-collegiate and international athletes. Specifically, the research explored the often overlooked challenges that student-athletes face when either transitioning away from an NCAA-sanctioned sport into the general student population or immigrating to the United States to play in the NCAA. Because Shaw herself is a former Division I athlete, she was able complement the research with personal insight and anecdotes. Both presentations were well-received and encouraged though-provoking conversations among attendees.
Shaw has worked in the Office of the Registrar for more than a year as a research assistant, and has since become the office’s first Student Ambassador. As Student Ambassador, she is responsible for coordinating training activities for all incoming student staff and managing special projects. Shaw is a senior double majoring in Human Service Studies and Public Health, and she intends to enroll in law school to study sports law after graduation.