Looking for a place where talking about popular culture and connecting it to academic topics was the norm? Look no further! On April 5th to April 7th, our Popular Culture Student Association (PCSA) held their annual Popular Culture conference. Held right here in the Chardón Building, the conference was an open environment for the academic discussion of race, gender, sexuality, and many more within popular culture. Lasting a weekend, each of the days had their own fair share of activities.

 

April 5th: 

On the first day of the conference,  PCSA hosted a mini Meet and Greet in Chardón 326, giving everyone a chance to meet presenters, members and volunteers alike. Afterwards, they treated everyone to a series of movies, including some Studio Ghibli films and a few comedies. There were some goodies provided, ranging from hot chocolate for presenters and popcorn for the movie.

 

April 6th: 

The day had finally come and Saturday was presentation day! Conference presenters had started flooding the premises of the Chardón Building at around 8:00AM and PCSA members, along with volunteers, worked continuously throughout the day to make the event an astounding success. There were early panels, and thanks to the inscription table running smoothly, everyone was able to make it on time.

Dr. Gabriel Romaguera with keynote speaker Dr. Nancy Vicente

In the afternoon, a beloved friend of the university and a true warrior, Dr. Nancy Vicente, who is now the director of the English Department over at UPR-Río Piedras. She traveled all the way from Rio Piedras, delivered an inspirational keynote presentation. She was received with a wonderful welcome from the executive chair Gabriel Romaguera and the English Department Director Leonardo Flores. Dr. Vicente delivered her impactful presentation titled “The Force to Ascend the Throne: Traversing the Journey to Become Your Own Hero”, in which she reminded us that the power to become your better self lies within you. If you are interested in watching Dr. Vicente’s presentation, it is available on PCSA’s Facebook page. After the wonderful keynote presentation, the day kept going with more panels made up of scholars from all around the island. 

 

 

 

Students enjoying games from Capitan Granuja

April 7th: 

It was the last day of the conference, and PCSA wanted to finish their conference with a bang. They organized a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament in which the top three places were able to win some sweet prize money. In cooperation with local geek hang out Capitan Granuja, they also had tables dedicated to Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon. Apart from giving free demo packs, they also gave tutorials to all of those who were interested in the games but had no previous experience.  

 

Overall, the Popular Culture Conference was an event in which all branches of academia were able to be seen and discussed through the lens of popular culture. An amazing event with incredible panels, this conference was a blast!