Veronica King Participates in Buena Vista University's Twelfth Annual Scholars Day

2016 May 6

Buena Vista University's (BVU) twelfth annual Scholars Day was held Friday, April 22. The event provided students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their best presentations, original research, academic posters, artistic creations and performances to their peers, professors and the public.

This year's Scholars Day event featured 38 presentations from 66 students, exploring topics from literature and business to science and history.

Veronica King, a senior history major from Manning , was one of the students who participated. King's presentation was titled Queen Elizabeth I: The Queen beyond Imagination, and the project's abstract is as follows:

Queen Elizabeth was the first stand-alone queen in England. She was a queen by birth right, and never had a man by her side like her sister Mary. Queen Elizabeth had to do something that no had to do before: be the Queen and the "King". She had to balance the differences between genders while England faced a critical time in its existence. Through the means of poems, letters, prayers, and speeches, Queen Elizabeth was able to create the image she wanted. She had to embrace her conflicting image to be taken seriously by her people. The image she controlled and created during her reign established the way we see her now: a strong, powerful Queen; however, most forget about the challenges she had to face when crafting that image. Her struggle to use the positive attributes of both genders effectively is still a battle that women leaders still confront today. Queen Elizabeth became a model to follow for female leaders when it comes to balancing the best qualities of both genders to provide effective leadership.

The keynote speaker for the event was Grant Gerlock, BVU Class of 2004, who is a Harvest Public Media reporter at NET News. Gerlock is recognized as a great storyteller and has visited coal plants, dairy farms, horse tracks and hospitals to cover a variety of stories.

"The students put so much into their research-time, effort, resources-that it becomes a part of them," said Dr. Steven Mills, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the events committee who organized the event. "As they give their presentations and share their knowledge with the audience, their countenance brightens, their confidence rises and their eyes light up. What has become a part of their identity flows out with energy and enthusiasm; they feel like they have truly succeeded, and this success can be valuable to others, as well. I have seen every student walk away with a firmer step and a deeper desire to turn his or her academic work into something more."

A photo gallery from the Scholars Day event is available at www.bvu.edu/scholarsday.