Power of Reflection; COE Grad Student Research Symposium Spring 2025

By Niya McAdoo, Social Media Ambassador 2024-2025

Poster Session, GSRS ‘25

The Graduate Student Research Symposium (GSRS ’25) is an annual Spring showcase at the UH Mānoa College of Education that has been celebrated for the past two years. This free conference opportunity brings together master’s and doctoral students to share their ongoing research through presentations and posters. It’s a day of thoughtful inquiry, professional growth, and community learning.

You might ask, why does any event like this matter? There are some key reasons why it does, not only for rising scholars in the COE, but also for the broader college community. GSRS provides students with:

• Skill-building: Presenters gain valuable experience in proposal writing and public speaking.
• Supportive feedback: Attendees engage directly with researchers, offering constructive insights.
• Diverse projects: From educational technology to culturally responsive pedagogy, the event highlights a rich interdisciplinary mix.

Presentations, GSRS ‘25

Our day started bright and early, with a schedule presented to all who registered. We started with an opening breakfast and coffee bar during check in for presenters and attendees, everyone getting their name tags and finding where presentations would take place on the map around Wist Hall and the portables outside. This symposium offers a rich collection of student presentations ranging from student service, school curriculum, teacher practices, technology, and so much more. 

Students had the opportunity to register as a presentation presenter or poster presenter, making it accessible to experience both options in an intimate and community centered setting, allowing for constructive feedback and encouragement for future research. Leading up to GSRS, we were offered additional resources like a preparatory webinar in April to refine our posters or presentations. A great feature of the symposium was we were also able to get our posters printed in house, making it more affordable to attend as well. 

Event highlights also included:

• Welcome remarks by faculty and organizers.
• Topics like literacy in online fandom, cultural teaching practices, and executive function.
• Deep-dives into instructional strategies, flipped classrooms, and digital tools.

There were many thoughts, feelings, and takeaways from the day - especially as a student who presented their final capstone for their Masters program. As a budding scholar, and future educational administrator I left with the following:

• Growth mindset: Presenters received live feedback, strengthening their research and communication skills.
• Community building: Colleagues, faculty, and community members mingled, forging new connections and long lasting partnerships.
• Academic vibrancy: The symposium showcased the breadth and depth of education research underway at the College of Education at UH Mānoa, and the future scholars that are on the horizon doing great and meaningful work.

Poster Session, GSRS ‘25

To be a student participant in GSRS '25 wasn’t just a symposium—it was a space of meaningful dialogue, celebrating graduate student scholarship in an inclusive, reflective community. Whether you’re a presenter or attendee, it’s a powerful reminder: research isn’t done in isolation—it’s shared, shaped, and strengthened together.

You can stay connected to the UH Mānoa College of Education and future Graduate Student Research Symposiums here.