Beyond the Classroom: Ignatian Scholarship Day

By: Madison Howard, Assistant Features Editor

Ignatian Scholarship Day (ISD) filled Canisius University with energy and creativity during the 2025-26 academic year, showcasing a wide range of student work across campus. From research presentations to live performances, the event highlighted the effort students put into their work all year and gave the campus community a chance to see it all come together in one place. Many of the presenters at ISD are also recipients of the Canisius Earning Excellence Program (CEEP), which supports students working with professors on research and creative projects, giving them hands-on experience that prepares them for the future.

As a first-time attendee, it was great to be able to see what people have been working on throughout the year. Walking through the different presentations made it feel like there was always something new to learn and it was interesting to move between different tables and spaces while seeing the variety of topics students chose to explore. The event made campus feel active in a different way, with students sharing work that reflected both personal interest and academic effort.

One of the standout moments of the day was a trumpet performance by Faith Mingle ‘29, who played “I Remember Clifford.” The performance was beautiful, creating a quiet moment of focus during a busy day of presentations. It was one of those performances that stood out for the atmosphere it created.

Research presentations also played a big role at ISD. One poster presentation by Taylor Evans and Ava Jo Wertman focused on eyewitness identification and whether people can improve their accuracy after receiving corrective feedback. The project looked at how memory and decision-making work in real-life situations like police lineups and whether learning from an earlier mistake can lead to better choices later on. It was interesting to see how psychological research can connect to real-world systems and situations that affect everyday life.

Mikayla Boyd and Sophia Nazarevych presenting at ISD

It was also exciting to see members of The Griffin take part in the event, including Mikayla Boyd, Kaitlin O’Meara and Hannah Wiley. Boyd focused on her experience organizing the annual high school Model United Nations conference that the club puts on every fall, O’Meara’s project explored the benefits of short-term study abroad experiences and Wiley’s examined differences in social media engagement between men’s and women’s professional soccer teams. Each presentation highlighted a different perspective and showed the range of interests and experiences students bring into their academic work.

Overall, ISD was an engaging and meaningful experience. It was inspiring to see so many students sharing what they’ve been working on, and it made the campus feel more connected through all the different presentations on display. Congratulations to the recipients of CEEP and to everyone who presented this year.