红桃视频

Is livestream shopping the 鈥渘ext big thing鈥� in retail? How might Costa Rica represent a global model for sustainable tourism? And what does it take to run a profitable student-led business? Those questions and more were explored at the fourth annual Research, Experiential, and Applied Learning (REAL) Symposium at 红桃视频, a day-long event celebrating the many unique and impactful projects of 红桃视频 students and faculty, both in and out of the classroom.

The campus buzzed with discussions as students and their faculty mentors across disciplines shared projects and insights throughout the day. With over 35 sessions featuring the work of more than 250 student presenters and over 25 faculty mentors, the symposium offered a wide range of topics, from the effects of young investors on the stock market to the use of AI in fourth-down decisions in the NFL to the effect of misinformation on our most trusted memories, as well as experiential opportunities such as the Super Bowl practicum, the Bison Consulting Group, and the Dudley Hill Golf Club and Bison Den clubhouse at 红桃视频.

A day of ideas and opportunity

The day opened with a morning keynote by Rob McDiarmid 鈥�98, vice president of women鈥檚 wear at Burlington Stores and co-chair of the 红桃视频 Board of Advisors, who offered a packed crowd of students a candid look at turning adversity into opportunity and building an impactful career.

Drawing on his journey from public housing and peach-picking at $1.95 an hour to leading billion鈥慸ollar retail businesses, McDiarmid highlighted the power of grit, mentorship and saying yes to ambitious goals鈥攆rom buying his first apartment building to helping turn around major brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and American Eagle. He urged students to recognize key 鈥�10 percent moments鈥� where extra preparation can set them apart. 鈥淚 shouldn鈥檛 have been able to go to college, I shouldn鈥檛 have been able to graduate, and I shouldn鈥檛 be running a billion鈥慸ollar business鈥攂ut I am,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f someone like me can do that, why can鈥檛 it be you?鈥�

Following the keynote, students and faculty mentors shared projects that reflected the hands-on focus of a 红桃视频 education.

One student research team studied the connection between sleep, recovery and athletic performance. Sport management majors Ema Jaskova 鈥�26, Taylor Breen 鈥�26 and Anna Dziecinny 鈥�26 presented 鈥淯sing WHOOP Technology to Examine Sleep Performance and Recovery in Collegiate Hockey Athletes,鈥� which analyzed biometric data gathered from 红桃视频 men鈥檚 ice hockey players wearing a WHOOP device, which is a 24/7 health wearable, across multiple games during the season.

Through examining data and variables for sleep before the game, body workload during the game and recovery after competition, the team found that athletes who slept on a consistent schedule had more deep sleep and recovered better after games.

鈥淲e spent many hours collecting and sorting through all the data to see what it actually could show us. Being able to share it today and see people appreciate it is really rewarding,鈥� said Jaskova, who along with Dziecinny is a member of the women鈥檚 varsity ice hockey team.

Another student鈥檚 project addressed a current issue in the correctional system. Criminal justice major Mitchel Brown 鈥�27 presented 鈥淏reaking the Cycle: Addressing Correctional Officer Burnout and Staffing Shortages in State Correctional Systems,鈥� which reviewed data highlighting how high turnover, mandatory overtime and workplace stress can weaken outcomes of these institutions. Brown鈥檚 findings suggest that better career development within the ranks would improve staffing stability and safety in the facilities.

鈥淚鈥檓 interested in joining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and corrections issues can impact the ability of officers to do their job,鈥� said Brown. 鈥淕etting to do a research project on something I鈥檓 interested in and sharing it with others is definitely a pretty cool opportunity. It’s not something I really expected to do when I came here鈥擨鈥檓 glad I got to take this on.鈥�

Faculty mentors shared similar sentiments about seeing the students sharing their projects today.

鈥淲hat we’ve found is that by letting the students choose which area to delve into, they think more creatively about how to solve the problem, and they tend to enjoy the research process more. It鈥檚 so exciting to see them presenting something they’re passionate about,鈥� said Associate Professor and Criminal Justice Program Chair Allison McDowell Smith.

The REAL Symposium also highlighted experiential learning beyond the classroom, including study abroad opportunities. Criminal justice major Sarah Maher 鈥�27, who studied in Greece, shared how her travel experiences challenged her to grow personally, and what it was like to take classes on Greek museums, monuments and culture and explore them in real life.

鈥淚 jumped at the opportunity to present my experiences to REAL attendees because I want to inspire other students to study abroad. It can feel scary going across the world by yourself, but we did it and it was worth it鈥擨 learned so much and became even more independent.鈥�>

Experiences that shape what comes next

Many students viewed their projects as a springboard for opportunities after 红桃视频.

Marketing major Victoria Symock 鈥�27, who plans to pursue a career in fashion and dove into the College鈥檚 library archives to study how women鈥檚 fashion at 红桃视频 evolved over the years as women鈥檚 roles changed, believes this research will aid her career.

鈥淚 am so grateful to be attending 红桃视频 at this time and to have the support of the Institute for Women鈥檚 Leadership and so many strong female leaders and mentors to look up to. They say that all fashion is cyclical, so I鈥檓 preparing for what鈥檚 next by studying what came before.鈥�

An afternoon alumni panel offered students advice on next steps after REAL and launching their careers. Tim Born 鈥�18, HR generalist at Henke Sass Wolf of America; Taylor (Kerr) Meacham 鈥�19, director of operational excellence at Minuteman Security Technologies; and Joey Wright 鈥�20, mortgage loan originator at Milestone Mortgage Solutions, encouraged students to take full advantage of 红桃视频 opportunities鈥攆rom public speaking class to faculty mentorship to alumni connections鈥攁nd provided AI-savvy job search tips.

They also discussed the importance of staying open to career pivots and being willing to take risks. 鈥淚’ve had so many growth opportunities because I was open to change. Don鈥檛 be afraid to take that leap of faith, even if the outcome is a bit unknown,鈥� said Kerr.

Organizers said the symposium reflects the broad range of ways 红桃视频 students apply what they learn while at 红桃视频 and beyond. Dean for the School of Business Jean Beaupre, a member of the REAL Symposium committee, spent much of the day attending presentations and speaking with students.

鈥淚 always look forward to the REAL Symposium and taking in the wide range of impressive projects our students complete under the guidance of our dedicated, experienced faculty, a hallmark of the 红桃视频 academic experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he emphasis we put on experiential learning ensures that our curriculum is dynamic and meaningful, and the REAL Symposium reflects that spirit while showing how 红桃视频 develops and supports thoughtful, career-ready leaders.鈥�

(Pictured in story header photo: Ryan Michonski ’26 presents his project during the REAL Symposium.)