On March 30, 2023, three students and one faculty member attended the Annual Alpha Chi National Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Alpha Chi student executives Elijah Brown, Erica Mock, and Olivia Wheeler were joined by Alpha Chi Faculty Sponsor Dr. Lia Walker, who served as a judge for presentations in the field of biology at the convention. All three students presented research undertaken at Chowan University from their respective distinctions. 

Elijah Brown, the Service Chairman for Chowan University’s Alpha Chi branch, presented the findings of his research,  “Creating Music in My Own Unique Style: Presenting the Essentials of Creating a Musical Production Composition for Beginners.” Brown, a senior music major at Chowan, was proud to broadcast his findings and show other individuals how to make their own music ‘from scratch,’ providing tips that benefit their own production of music. The venture to Albuquerque, NM, was Brown’s first time flying and his first visit to the West Coast. Brown added, “I enjoyed the fellowship throughout this trip; the convention was an amazing networking opportunity, being surrounded by individuals in your industry from different parts of the U.S. I have a changed  perspective of the world, all thanks to Chowan and our Alpha Chi opportunities.” 

As well as presenting her research “Queen Hatshepsut: A Truly Revolutionary Queen” to over fifty people at the convention, Alpha Chi secretary, Erica Mock, served as a voting delegate on Alpha Chi legislation. Mock said, “With the core theme of Alpha Chi being academic excellence, it was a nourishing experience to be able to learn from stalwarts of academia and network with professionals in our industry at the convention.” The traveling party also had time to take in the scenery of New Mexico and spread the word of Chowan through downtown Albuquerque and surrounding areas. For the history major, being back in New Mexico provided an opportunity to rekindle with an old teacher who had sparked an academic fire in Mock, who attended her presentation. Mock received high praise from Egyptologists from all around America for the detail of her research into the faith elements of Queen Hatshepsut. 

The President of Chowan University’s Alpha Chi Chapter, Olivia Wheeler, delivered a presentation titled “Ruff Reading to Re-energize Learning.” Wheeler, a Northampton County native, provided research on a relatively new educational tactic, primarily adopted in kindergarten to third-grade classrooms, that involves students reading to dogs to gain confidence in their literacy skills. Wheeler, an education major at Chowan, described the experience as “an amazing way for me to exit my comfort zone and gain cultural knowledge through meeting different types of people and hearing many different topics of research. With the Chowan University Student Research Conference just around the corner, this was the perfect opportunity for me to become more competent at public speaking and gain the benefits of networking outside of my immediate environment.” Following Wheeler’s presentation, she was met by numerous educators who were amazed by her findings and wanted to learn more about the positive effects of reading with canines. 

In her second year as a faculty sponsor for Chowan University’s Alpha Chi Chapter, Dr. Lia Walker, Assistant Professor of Biology, was afforded the opportunity to be a judge for presentations in the Biology field. 

As a general honor society, Alpha Chi admits to membership students from all academic disciplines. To be tapped for membership at Chowan University, a student must have successfully completed 24 hours of class credit at Chowan, earned a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, and be ranked within the top 10 percent of the junior and senior classes combined.

Chowan University would like to congratulate Elijah Brown, Erica Mock, and Olivia Wheeler for their successful presentations and thank them for representing Chowan University in a national capacity. In addition, the University would like to thank Dr. Lia Walker for her continued support of the society, and congratulates her on her duties as a judge in this prestigious event.