Thea Hickey, of Southborough, Presents Academic Research Before Assumption College Community at Annual Academic Symposium

2017 Apr 27

Thea Hickey, of Southborough, was one of 90 students selected to present an original academic research project at Assumption College's 23rd Annual Undergraduate Symposium, held April 24-25 on the College's Worcester Campus.

The undergraduate symposium serves to highlight the research and scholarly achievements of Assumption students working in collaboration with dedicated faculty mentors. These collaborations represent a model for integrating teaching, original research, and the beneficial effects of peer review in promoting intellectual development and professional growth. The symposium provides the campus community with the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of and applaud the individual and collective accomplishments of the College's faculty and students.

Hickey, a member of the Class of 2018, presented "The Muslim Experience in the United States" and "Worcester Women's Oral History Project: Marissa Pyatt". The first project, which Hickey worked on with a classmate, explores how our opinions and biases against Muslim Americans can affect people in our community. The students hope this presentation encourages people to reconsider some of their negative thoughts and opinions about Muslim people. For the second project, which was done in collaboration with the Worcester Women's Oral History Project, this group of three interviewed Marissa Pyatt, a member of the staff at Abby's House, a multi-service organization assisting homeless and battered women in Worcester, Massachusetts. One aspect of the interview that stood out to the group was Pyatt's statement about privilege, oppression, and social justice: "I think people don't understand their privilege, and we as a group, not just Worcester, not just women, but as citizens, as humans, need to be able to understand our privilege and how it intersects with oppression.".

"The Symposium is one of my favorite moments of the academic year, as it highlights the quality of our students' work and research," said Louise Carroll Keeley, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. "This is an occasion of great pride not only for our students and their families, but for the entire Assumption community-especially the faculty advisors who lend their expertise to the students as they puruse research that helps them grow intellectually."

For more information on Assumption, visit www.assumption.edu.