This story was published before Missouri Valley College became Missouri Valley University in August 2026.
More than 170 students presented Monday at Missouri Valley College’s Fall 2024 Student Research Symposium, setting a record for participation. The symposium, now in its 8th year, featured academic, creative and professional student work.
The event culminated with the presentation of four $500 scholarships to the Excellence in Student Research Winners. They are:
Best Presentation: Sidni Hunter “Spatial Changes in the Community Composition and Diversity of Fishes in the Salt Fork Creek”
Best Creative Work: Lucinda Lombard for “echoes of Movement”
Best Poster: Brooklin Rose “The Impact Bacterial Vaginosis has on Women’s Health”
Best Graduate Research: Glenda Gallardo-Menendez for “Beyond Talk: Addressing Trauma with Integrative Techniques”
“The Symposium was incredible,” said President Joe Parisi. “Kudos to all of our students who worked so hard to prepare. And I can’t say enough about the staff and volunteers who made it happen.”
Ona Bartolome Areny received the People’s Choice Award for “To What Extent Does the Current Extreme-Right in Europe Have Direct Impact on the Liberal Democracies of Italy, Germany, and Spain?”
Honorable Mentions:
In Best Poster, Lucia Valdivia Escabia for “Leadership in Transition: New Models for a Changing Society” and Giavanna Parisi for Strangles in Horses: What We Need to Know”
In Best Presentation, Alexx-Torres Gonzalez for “Anti-Monogamy & Human Possibilities of Love” and Estafano Del Aguila Delgado for “Microhabitat Selection of Snakes in Marshall Junction Conservation Area, Saline County”
In Best Creative Work: Maria Greider for “Performance of Distinction in Debate: Poetry Interpretation” and Carla Medina for “Silent Frail:
In Best Graduate Research Work: Iris Cruz for “Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Generalized Anxiety Disorder” and Whitney Leadbetter for “Hidden Woulds: The Impact and Healing Pathways for Child Sexual Abuse Survivors”
