The Eighth Annual CAFE Symposium Showcases Student Work
By Kenzie Smith, Staff Writer
First-year students display their work at the eighth annual CAFE Symposium (Photo Will Oehler/The Gettysburgian).
On Wednesday, the eighth annual Celebration of Academic First-Year Engagement (CAFE) Symposium was held in the CUB Ballroom from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. CAFE provides an opportunity for first-year students, who are nominated by faculty, to present work from their respective first-year seminars.
Faculty, staff, parents and community members attended the event to support the nominated first-year students.
Unlike in previous years, this year’s CAFE Symposium was coordinated by the Musselman Library.
Research, instruction, and student success librarian Hannah Krauss commented on this change.
“[The CAFE Symposium] was developed through the Office of Student Scholarly Engagement, and for the first seven years CAFE was organized by Dean Maureen Forrestal,” Krauss said. “Since Dean Forrestal retired at the end of May, Musselman Library was asked to coordinate this important event.”
Other individuals who contributed to the planning and preparation of the event included director of research and instruction Meggan Smith, research, instruction, and first-year engagement librarian Eyoel Delessa; scholarly communication librarian Mary Elmquist, executive director of the Garthwait Leadership Center Andy Hughes, and Ethan Clare ’25.
Krauss shared how she felt the CAFE Symposium benefits first-year students.
“CAFE gives first year students who were nominated by their professors to participate a chance to learn about the process of creating and presenting a poster based on their research,” said Krauss. “Not only can the college community come to support them and celebrate their achievements from their first semester, participating students gain experience in presenting that will aid them later in their time here at Gettysburg College.”
Professor of history Michael Birkner was one of the nominating professors, and he commented on what the CAFE Symposium represents and offers.
“The CAFÉ Symposium is a sign that strong academic performance enjoys support and attention at Gettysburg College. It’s an ideal forum for students to think further about work they have done in classes, including how to make that work accessible to a general audience,” said Birkner.
A first-year student presents her work at the eighth annual CAFE Symposium (Photo Will Oehler/The Gettysburgian).
Systems and digital initiatives librarian R.C. Miessler shared how CAFE can open future opportunities for students.
“I’ve shared internships and fellowship advertisements, and even hired several students I’ve met at CAFÉ! It’s a great way for both students and college employees to make connections,” Miessler said.
CAFE participant Alfredo Roman Jordan ’26 was glad to share his project, “Houseless not Homeless: How Portland, Oregon is Tackling the Houseless Epidemic.”
“I’m really happy to be able to present my project because in a normal classroom environment only my professor and maybe my classmates could look at projects, but, here, you really get to reach out to the greater Gettysburg community and show them your projects and show them all the intelligence you’ve gathered,” Roman Jordan said.
Hannah Collins ’26 presented her project, “The Use of Probability in Quantum Mechanics to Calculate Measurement Outcomes,” and she felt that this was a rewarding experience.
“I feel like this is showcasing the hard work I’ve done behind the scenes and that it’s a way of recognition for all of us,” Collins said.
Similarly, presenter Riley Nolan ’26 shared, “I would say that writing my paper was actually an extremely rewarding process because my first year seminar was something I was really passionate about,”
Nolan’s project was “Expedition to Washington State: The PCT, Mt. Rainier, Okanogan-Wenatchee, and Lake Chelan.”
Trevor Hobler ’26 said that the event was “a beautiful representation of Gettysburg’s consequential education.”
Both Sara Hussain ’26 and Emerson Rodriguez ’26 enjoyed learning about the different topics being presented and supporting their friends.
“I feel very excited to see everybody’s work, especially my friend’s, Alessia Buoso. She’s talking about the Renaissance art period, and it’s wonderful,” Hussain said.
“This event so far has opened up my knowledge to different things I didn’t know before, and I’m glad to see all my friends here presenting and enjoying themselves and being passionate about certain topics,” Rodriguez added.
