In my Leadership and Interpersonal Communication class, I had the assignment of conducting a case study on a leader. I decided that I would like to present my case study at the Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS). I worked with my professor from the class, Dr. Cvancara, and she mentored me through the process of applying to the URS and helped me get ready to present. I had a lot of fun conducting my research. I interviewed a Mankato community leader to understand how authentic leadership can be achieved when working in a diverse community composed of many cultures.

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I wrote an abstract for my case study, which allowed me to envision the results and implications of my research. I was able to see how my research was relevant to students at MSU, especially honor students who are striving to be good leaders. I had to apply to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval to present at the URS, because my research involved a human subject. The IRB is there to make sure that research remains ethical and I learned more about the ethical components that are required in research. It was a long process to fill out the IRB form and Dr. Cvancara was very helpful in the process: I learned a lot about how to write brief, informative sentences. We had to revise our original submission, but after the second adjustment, I was approved to present my research at the URS.

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By presenting at the URS, I was able to share my research with other people. I engaged with the other presenters and was able to see the research that students were conducting. Although I was nervous to present at the URS and felt that I needed more time to prepare, it was an experience that I learned from. I was able to be involved with the academic scholarship that is happening on campus, share my original research with others, and be a part of that scholarship.

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I created a PowerPoint for my presentation at the URS, which can be viewed:

Authentic Leadership Presentation.pptx